Chapter 26 – The Party and the Prohibition of Words (2)

Helio’s characteristic of keeping his mind clear under extreme pressure was being fully displayed. His legs felt weak as if he might collapse, but he stubbornly straightened his back and tried not to avoid Ashton’s gaze.

“Ashton Bryant, a businessman from Retona. Well, it all started as nothing. Just like you. Alone, I was truly nothing. I had some good people and a bit of luck. In the end, I was able to expand my business to Brinita….”

“I…”

“That’s not what you’re curious about, is it?”

Helio neither nodded nor shook his head, only stared at Ashton. The man emptied his glass in one go.

“I’m a mage.”

Those words fell so plainly and easily. Helio felt a chill run down the back of his neck.

“Then, the incident with Don Slapdi…”

“Of course, I used magic. If not for magic, how else could that have happened? Surely, you’re not feeling any sympathy for him?”

There was no way Helio could feel sympathy. The thing he hated most was Don Slapdi.

“What did you do to him?”

Helio’s voice slowly faded. Ashton narrowed his eyes.

“You don’t know?”

“I only saw him collapse…”

Sabina hadn’t even told Helio what happened to Don Slapdi.

“I turned him into a dog.”

Clink. The glass was filled again. Ashton brought his index finger to his own head.

“Only here.”

Helio became confused.

“There was no mention of such an attribute.”

“Of course. There are only two mages in the world with this attribute.”

“…Whether one or two, it doesn’t matter. It must be recorded. All mages are recorded. The only one with the time attribute is Lady Sabina, but it was recorded.”

At least, that’s what the books said. But Helio’s voice, which repeated the written words, lacked confidence. He understood well that what was written wasn’t everything in the world.

“If you’re a mage, then you must be from Brinita.”

“Yes.”

Ashton acknowledged briefly again. There was no racial difference between Brinita and Retona. Ashton had long operated in the coastal region of Retona, which gave him tousled hair and tanned skin. People living in Brinita, where the sunlight isn’t strong, often thought of these as ‘Retona traits.’

Though Ashton’s Brinita language had a slightly twisted Retona accent, his grammar and vocabulary were precise and flawless because of that.

“If you’re a child of Brinita, you must have had an attribute test.”

“Don’t judge me by common sense. System, rules, attribute tests, academy… I am outside all of that.”

“You should have been educated.”

“Aha, did Lady D’Vialis give you books that said so? That’s her policy. Pure and kind. Very principled. But if the world ran only by principles, no one would suffer.”

“And you said there are two, so there’s another mage like you? Who is that?”

Ashton stopped talking and stood still like a statue, only scrutinizing Helio. The boy, who had just dared to confront the man, shrank in the silence.

“It’s you.”

Again, Ashton spoke easily.

But Helio couldn’t accept it easily.

“You’re a mage with the same attribute as me. In history, there are only you and me.”

At that moment, it was only natural that Helio recalled that night two weeks ago, when he lay under the influence of a strong sedative, listening quietly to Sabina’s words.

「You are special.」

What followed after that was….

「You were born with a unique attribute.」

That was it.

Helio became confused. Sabina and Ashton’s words were different. No, more than that, what confused him even more was—

“How, how do you know?”

He stammered as he spoke.

“I haven’t even had my attribute test yet, and my magic hasn’t manifested, but both of you know I’m a mage, and my attribute…”

“So many questions. Speaking of those circumstances is taboo for me. Any other questions?”

For the third time, the glass was filled. He thought he had many things to ask, but the sudden enormity of what he faced made him forget everything he’d been thinking. He asked, mouth agape like a fool,

“Then, will I also… gain frightening powers like you?”

At that, Ashton let out a small laugh.

“Ah, sorry for laughing. I wasn’t mocking you. I used to think that way too, long ago.”

“…”

“Yes, you’ll gain frightening powers. So keep your mind sharp, Young Master.”

Helio’s breath grew short, and he tried several times to steady it. The boy lowered his gaze and tried to remain calm. Ashton no longer pressed the boy, instead leaning crookedly against the table.

“Why did you approach Lady Sabina?”

“Haha. That’s also taboo. I can’t answer.”

Ashton strode towards Helio. The boy backed away in alarm but was already pressed against the door. Ashton removed his gloves and took Helio’s hand. The boy looked up helplessly at Ashton. The man before him felt like a wall.

“I want something from her. To achieve my goal, I need her. Ah, don’t worry. I have no intention of harming her.”

“Did you come to an agreement with Lady Sabina?”

“Agreement? No need for that. She’ll cooperate with my plan without even knowing she’s cooperating.”

Upon hearing that, Helio tried to open the door. He didn’t need to hear more. Ashton was using Sabina. Even if no harm would come to her, that wasn’t enough to convince him. And, how could he believe that she wouldn’t be harmed in the first place?

“Oh dear.”

Ashton whispered softly.

“Didn’t you learn from Carnival not to take my hand?”

Zap.

A light tingling spread from his fingertips to his limbs. Helio looked at Ashton in panic. He understood the situation in the next instant. This man had used magic on him.

Helio hurriedly pulled his hand away. Ashton smiled and let go. The example of Don Slapdi flashed through his mind, sending chills through his whole body.

The boy hurriedly recalled who he was. 

‘My name is Helio. I serve Lady Sabina. I am at the party hosted by Ashton Bryant….’

The thoughts came easily, but he wasn’t sure. Was this information correct?

Helio stared at Ashton with terrified eyes. Ashton still wore a calm expression. He lowered his head slightly and explained in a gentle tone.

“Don’t worry, boy. Your ego is safe. My magic doesn’t only work to destroy the ego. I can read memories, erase them, suppress emotions, amplify them…”

“You…”

“Or seal your lips.”

Helio’s eyes widened. The boy tried to repeat what Ashton had just said. Ashton Bryant is a mage. He’s from Brinita, and he approached Sabina with some scheme…

No words came out.

It wasn’t that his throat was blocked, but every time he tried to speak, the words unraveled into syllables and randomly jumbled in his mind, unable to form meaningful information.

It was terrifying. The boy opened the door and fled outside as if escaping. Ashton didn’t stop Helio. After all, he wouldn’t be able to say anything now.

As the boy staggered across the threshold, the still dry yet gentle voice of the man reached his ears. It was a deliberately staged tone, as if meant to be heard.

“Because you’re the target, the magic will be incomplete. Since you have the same attribute as me, if you learn to control and unleash your magic properly, you’ll be able to break free yourself. Ah, how could this be. I ended up telling you something like this….”

There was no way Helio could hear that. Ashton watched the boy’s figure, still staggering as he tried to get away as quickly as possible. Then he closed the door.

He covered his face and sighed deeply. Ah, he hadn’t planned to be this aggressive. But seeing Helio made him angry. Ashton knew where that baseness originated….

He quickly put his gloves back on and took out a small, clear crystal bottle from inside his jacket pocket.

He poured all the contents into his mouth and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, Helio searched for Sabina among the crowd. It wasn’t easy. It seemed every noble living in Ridblon was present.

Nevertheless, the boy found Sabina quickly. She was his guiding star.

That star was far away. She was talking to someone under a garden tree in the corner.

Helio tried to run straight to her. When he took a big step, his body’s axis twisted and he staggered.

“Ah…!”

But the boy didn’t fall.

A cold, slender hand grabbed Helio’s arm and lifted him up. The boy was startled by the realization that someone had caught him from behind and shook off the hand as he turned around.

A tall, slender, and beautiful man stood there. He wasn’t wearing a mask.

“Calm down.”

He showed both palms and stepped back. Shhh… The soothing sound was somehow snake-like.

“You’re sweating coldly. Is something wrong?”

His black curly hair softly curled over his forehead. Underneath delicately arched eyelids, his green eyes had a somewhat eerie hue. Helio thought the man’s voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t recall the 17th from the carnival.