Chapter 8.2

“Did you set up the barrier?”  

“Yes.”  

Peter and Erina were sitting on an old, shabby bench that looked out of place in the farthest corner of the park at the Knight Order Fortress. Their restless glances, as if ensuring no one could eavesdrop on their conversation, made them resemble meerkats from a distant land.  

“Do you remember what I said earlier?”  

“How could I forget?”  

Peter replied to Erina’s question.  

“…What’s going on? You said that once the magic disappeared, my memory would become hazy. But why are my memories so vivid?”  

Erina spoke urgently. At first, she thought her sharp recollection was due to Marianne breaking the spell too late. But earlier that day, Marianne had visited Peter. She told him that she was temporarily leaving for another city for work and that it was highly likely she’d remain there permanently.  

Marianne had come to thank Peter and Erina for everything up to that point. Her sole purpose in visiting them was to express her gratitude. Someone like Marianne wouldn’t leave unresolved matters behind to move to another city. This meant that the spell cast on Sylvester had already been broken.  

Yet Erina’s memory remained intact. From the troublesome banquet to her recent meeting with Marianne, every memory stored in her mind was as vivid and fresh as a fish flopping on a dock.  

“I don’t know either. I haven’t dared to ask anyone else, fearing it might cause unnecessary trouble…”  

Peter muttered with a sigh, clutching his hair.  

“If only the Commander were here, we could simply bring up the librarian and find out immediately. But why did he have to leave on an expedition?”  

“When is he supposed to return?”  

“As soon as he seals the rift and defeats the monsters.”  

“So, he’ll be back soon… assuming he remembers the librarian.”  

Peter imagined Sylvester slicing through a chaotic monster with a single gesture and spoke.  

“But…”  

“But what?”  

“That means the Commander and the librarian might not have met since the spell was broken. The Commander left in such a hurry.”  

“…That’s possible.”  

A strange silence passed over Peter and Erina. Both frowned simultaneously. A peculiar sense of unease lingered in the air.  

* * *  

Sylvester had received sudden orders for deployment right after visiting Siln Lake with Marianne. A rift had appeared in the northern snowy plains, where it snowed year-round. The ominous black smoke pouring out of the rift spewed monsters into the world.  

It wasn’t uncommon for black mages hiding across the country to open rifts connecting to the demon realm, claiming to create a new world. They would also awaken monsters and ancient dragons sleeping in deep forests or caves, causing all sorts of chaos. However, this incident was significant enough to require Sylvester’s involvement.  

Sylvester didn’t have time to tell Marianne that he was leaving on an expedition of uncertain duration. He had to step into a teleportation portal immediately. His aide, Allen, accompanied him.  

However, he did manage to leave a letter. Though he couldn’t deliver it to Marianne directly, he hurriedly wrote a short note and entrusted it to a nearby knight. Sylvester asked the knight to deliver the letter to Marianne Lane, the apprentice librarian at the library. The knight’s eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck, but Sylvester dismissed his worries, believing the task was simple enough.  

In the snowy plains nestled in the mountains, Sylvester fought monsters under the cold snowfall. Fortunately, Leah, the leader of the Black Eagle assassins, decapitated the black mages hiding in the area, closing the massive rift within a day.  

But the mission wasn’t over. They had to eliminate the monsters and creatures that had already stepped onto the land. Two knight commanders and the assassin leader estimated that it would take about two weeks to clean up the aftermath of the rift. Some even speculated it might take longer.  

“It’s taking too long.”  

Sylvester was the only one frowning at the news.  

Throughout the monster extermination, Sylvester had only one thought.  

He wanted to see Marianne.  

So, Sylvester resolved to finish the mission quickly and return to the capital to meet her. Effort was necessary to achieve what one desired. Thus, Sylvester began his efforts to see Marianne—by sweeping away monsters and creatures.  

On the fifth day of his deployment, Sylvester left the snowy plains and stood before the Emperor.  

“…Then, I’ll take my leave.”  

After reporting the expedition to the Emperor, Sylvester left the palace without another word. The knights thought only the Emperor’s parents, siblings, and Marquis Velarc could behave so dismissively toward him.  

But what could they do? They were grateful to Sylvester for shortening the deployment period, so they had to bear the brunt of the Emperor’s impending wrath. The 1st Knight Commander and the assassin leader closed their eyes, preparing for the Emperor’s scolding.  

Sylvester headed straight to the library without even changing his tattered uniform. He had so much to say to Marianne.  

But what?  

“Librarian Marianne Lane has gone to Sekmera.”  

Sekmera? What was this about Sekmera?  

“Is it a business trip?”  

“Well, yes, sort of…”  

“Do librarians go on business trips?”  

“It’s not common. Librarian Lane is considering permanently transferring to the library in Sekmera…”  

“Transferring?”  

“Yes. She’s likely to leave her position here soon.”  

The male librarian, facing Sylvester’s overly serious expression, blurted out the words in a fluster. He was the type to talk excessively when nervous.  

Sylvester fell silent. He looked as though he had forgotten how to speak.  

“Well, another librarian is here to assist in her absence…”  

The male librarian awkwardly added. Sylvester’s gaze followed the direction he pointed, landing on a man around Marianne’s age organizing bookshelves.  

“They attach the word ‘apprentice’ to someone’s title, transfer them recklessly, and fire them if they don’t fit…”  

Sylvester muttered.  

“No! That’s not true! Librarian Anna said Marianne volunteered to go! It’s true!”  

Sensing Sylvester’s unusual aura, the male librarian hastily explained. Sylvester’s eyes widened.  

“She volunteered…?”  

“Commander!”  

Sylvester turned toward the familiar voice. Familiar faces were rushing toward him. Their loud cries had turned the previously quiet library into a commotion.  

“C-Commander!”  

Peter clutched Sylvester’s arm urgently, his breathing ragged.  

“Why are you here?”  

This time, Erina, just as breathless, asked.  

“I came to see Librarian Marianne.”  

Hearing Sylvester’s answer, which somehow felt dangerous, Peter and Erina froze, as if turned to stone.  

“What’s going on?”  

Erina looked at Peter.  

“What did you do?”  

Silence enveloped Sylvester, the two mages, and the bewildered male librarian.  

“Wait a moment.”  

“…”  

“Are you implying you did something to me?”  

Sylvester asked, looking down at Peter and Erina.  

“…Yes.”  

Peter answered in a barely audible voice.  

“And it involves Marianne as well?”  

“H-how did you know?”

“Because you two have been acting suspiciously all along.”

“…I’m sorry. But we only followed you three times. The librarian told me not to, so I stopped.”  

Sylvester sighed as he looked at Peter’s flustered face. His gaze was so cold that Peter felt like winter had already arrived.  

“Let’s step outside for now.”  

After finishing his words, Sylvester immediately walked out of the library. The sound of his footsteps echoed in the quiet space.  

“Excuse me. The Commander will probably come back. It might be overwhelming, so call for another librarian. Anna? She might be the best choice.”  

Erina suggested to the male librarian. After speaking, Erina and Peter exchanged glances. They nodded at each other and followed the path Sylvester had taken.  

Sylvester stood leaning against a massive oak tree behind the library. His side profile, with his arms crossed, looked as cold as a well-forged blade.  

Peter and Erina walked awkwardly toward Sylvester, like broken wooden puppets. Once they reached him, Peter immediately knelt before Sylvester.  

“Commander! Please spare me!”  

Peter shouted as he lay flat on the ground.  

“…What?”  

Sylvester, uncharacteristically startled, asked back.  

“W-well…”  

“Stand up and speak first.”  

Sylvester said, lightly lifting Peter. In truth, Peter wished to remain prostrate. He was too scared to meet Sylvester’s gaze. However, refusing Sylvester’s suggestion was impossible due to his overwhelming strength. Peter, flailing like a paper doll in Sylvester’s grip, eventually stood up.  

“Explain briefly what you want to say.”  

“…I’ll do it.”  

Erina stepped forward on behalf of Peter, who had shrunk like overcooked stew. She began recounting the story, leaving out unnecessary details and focusing on the core points.  

Time passed, and Erina’s story came to an end. She finished with a sincere apology and closed her mouth. Peter also apologized to Sylvester, just like Erina.  

The two, now silent, watched Sylvester nervously. His fierce gaze bore down on them, instinctively making them clasp their hands together in submission.  

“…You’re saying I was under a spell?”  

Sylvester’s tone toward the mages was unusually light.  

“A-a spell to fall in love.”  

Peter replied in a rush. Another long silence followed. The branches of the oak tree swayed in the wind. Watching the falling leaves, Sylvester let out a disbelieving chuckle.  

“Are you saying I, Sylvester Amadeus, wouldn’t even realize I was under such a trivial spell?”

Sylvester sincerely questioned the two. “What?” Peter and Erina’s mouths fell open in shock.  

“In conclusion, I was not under any spell. Since I was never under a spell, I was never freed from one either.”  

“…”  

“Do you have anything else to say?”  

“…You weren’t under a spell?”  

Peter asked Sylvester with a dumbfounded expression. Instead of replying, Sylvester simply nodded.  

“…”  

“…”  

“Then… do you truly love Librarian Marianne?”  

Peter took a step closer to Sylvester.  

“It wasn’t because of a spell, but genuinely, sincerely, you love her?”  

Peter, as if ready to pounce on Sylvester, continued speaking excitedly.  

“Then why didn’t you say anything and went on the expedition?”  

“I left a letter…”  

Sylvester, caught off guard by Peter’s relentless energy, furrowed his brow and answered.  

“A letter? The librarian never received any letter!”  

Erina added. Never received it? Sylvester almost cursed out loud. Either the knight he entrusted the letter to failed to deliver it, or the letter was lost along the way.  

“Before that…”  

Sylvester trailed off as he looked at Peter and Erina. The mages’ obsession with the truth about his feelings puzzled him. Rather than focusing on their own mistake, they seemed more interested in confirming whether Sylvester’s feelings were genuine.  

‘They must have thought my love was an illusion created by magic.’  

A fleeting realization passed through Sylvester.  

“Could it be that Marianne also… thinks I only loved her because of the spell?”  

Sylvester asked.  

“…Yes.”  

“…And?”  

“She believed that once the spell was broken, you would no longer seek her out.”  

Peter, trying hard not to avoid Sylvester’s icy gray-blue gaze, gave a definitive answer.  

The increasingly strong wind roared as if it might uproot the oak tree at any moment.