Chapter 4

Bright light shone over the archive room that had been submerged in darkness. The table she had not been able to see, the bookshelf that had hidden her yesterday. And even the man himself.

“……!”

Strength entered the hand she had clenched. Elott’s eyes widened as she stared at the man, and her lips parted in shock. Perhaps amused by her reaction, the corners of the man’s eyes curved pleasantly.

The red hair illuminated by the sphere of light resembled the orange glow of a brightly burning sunset.

Eyebrows like lines drawn with a brush. Beneath the strands of hair hanging over them, she could see vivid yellow eyes damp with laughter.

Mature, or not yet mature.

The man stood somewhere in the middle of that line. The tip of his jaw looked soft like that of a boy, while the curve of his eyes and the beauty mark beneath one eye made him appear alluring.

Along with the sharp bridge of his nose in the center, his face, with its very white skin, looked like a finely made bisque doll.

“You look like you know me.”

Watching her reaction, the man propped his chin on his hand. Elott, who had been staring blankly at him, came back to herself only then.

He was wearing the male Academy uniform, just like Elott’s classmates. The silver brooch fastened above the right side of his winter jacket’s chest was the mark of a third-year student.

And seeing him in person, even the voice that had felt so oppressive finally registered as belonging to someone around her own age.

But the reason Elott was shocked was not simply because his appearance was beautiful, nor because he was a student of the same year as she was.

“……Lucion?”

Without realizing it, Elott called his name. The instant their eyes met, his vivid yellow pupils narrowed vertically like some beast’s, then relaxed again.

He did not seem offended. Rather, as if urging her to say it again, he prompted Elott on with the catlike curl of his lips.

There was no way she could not know him.

The pride of the Kingdom Academy and a heaven-sent genius.

The praises that followed the mage Lucion would not end even if one’s lips grew sore from repeating them.

Lucion was a commoner from an orphan background who entered the Academy with the support of a wealthy patron.

The Department of Magic was a place only those who could handle mana were allowed to enter, even within the Academy. Even if some great noble came carrying heaps of gold, if they could not wield mana, permission would not be granted.

Among those who handled mana, Lucion stood out. No, even that was not enough. He was a genius who would leave a mark on the century.

Not only had Lucion instantly solved difficult problems that countless mages had been unable to unravel, he had even gone so far as to create new magic, utterly overturning the Academy’s professors and the elders of the Mage Tower.

In truth, there was nothing left at the Academy for him to learn. Rather, he was in the position where the professors should have been seeking his advice, and even if he were to step out into the world this very moment and spread the fame of his great achievements, there would be nothing strange about it.

And yet the reason he remained here was because he had chosen to do so himself.

There was no way of knowing the details, but Lucion shocked the Academy once again by declaring that he intended to complete his entire graduation term.

‘They said he would receive a title immediately after graduating.’

Naturally, the royal family too had set its sights on Lucion’s talent. It was even said that they had come to him in secret, their hearts tightening with fear lest he defect to some larger nation or even the Empire.

That was why Lucion’s decision brought great relief to the royal family.

He was staying at the Academy and was set to be granted the title of Earl after graduation. There was no one inside the Academy who did not know this, and the shockwaves caused by a commoner orphan like him were often the subject of conversation on the lips of high-born nobles.

Elott, too, knew of Lucion through rumors. The first time she saw him was at the Academy’s year-end party.

Lucion had been surrounded by countless people, and it was only because the young lady beside Elott had whispered that he was that commoner mage that she had known.

‘So that’s what he looks like.’

The fair-faced beautiful boy had an appearance far too delicate and lovely for someone said to be a commoner. Surrounded by the crowd, he seemed composed beyond his age and station, and that scene left a deep impression in Elott’s memory.

But it had only been once. Perhaps because the very buildings they stayed in were different, she had no chance to run into him after the year-end party, and later, since Lucion did not appear in public places, she did not get to see his face.

But there was one memory she could never forget.

How could she forget that face? The beautiful boy who had taken root in one corner of Elott’s memory had, before she knew it, grown tall and now bore the aspect of a man.

“You, why, are you here.”

The words she let out broke off bit by bit. That the person who had seen that disgraceful display yesterday was Lucion…. she simply could not believe it.

Elott could not take her eyes off him. The handsome young man before her stood in sharp contrast to the indecent memory of yesterday, making her head spin.

It happened while she stood there as though nailed in place. Lucion jumped down from the windowsill where he had been perched and approached Elott. A dim shadow fell over her head.

“I told you I’d teach you.”

By the time she realized he had come far too close, he had already grabbed her face. His large hand cupped Elott’s cheek and chin, gently rubbing her soft cheek with his thumb.

“Didn’t you come because you were curious?”

His face, delicate as glasswork, was right before her eyes. His yellow eyes gleamed languidly like those of a snake or a beast, like a hunter of the night.

The gaze pressing in on its prey urged Elott on. It mocked her, demanding that she reveal the curiosity held inside her. That she show the secret she did not dare expose to the outside.

“N-no. I’m……!”

With trembling hands, Elott grabbed his wrist. She had clearly meant to shake him off at once. But no strength entered her at all. Her whole body had gone rigid, as though it had turned into tree roots.

And yet, in complete contrast, the heat pooled in her belly stirred with anticipation for the new stimulation to come. That contradiction threw her into confusion.

“Don’t worry too much.”

Lucion’s hand softly cupped Elott’s cheek. His tone was low and soothing, as though calming her. His languid voice soaked into the edge of her hearing.

He was like beautiful, sweet poison. She had to run. From the start, she should never have come—this thought took over her mind. This very space was a trap, a swamp.

Her body trembled. She barely managed to move her stiff body and stepped backward. But when Elott moved, Lucion moved with her.

She retreated step by step past the table. Then her back touched the door. The moment Elott recognized it as the door, she hurriedly began searching for the doorknob first. She had to get out of here. But he was faster.

“It’ll be even more interesting than you think. Far more than what you imagined.”

Click. The sound of the door locking echoed through the air. Coming to her senses with a start, she tried turning the doorknob, but all she heard was the metallic scraping unique to iron; no matter how much force she used, the door would not open. Was this magic too? Elott sank down while clutching the doorknob. She felt as though she might cry.

“L-let me go. I’m not interested in th-that kind of thing.”

Her voice, thick with tears, was pitiful enough to make her want to crawl into a mouse hole. Her heart pounded wildly. The thought that something had gone wrong, together with her ragged breathing, gave rise to dreadful anxiety.

“Please. I’ll give you anything. Anything.”

Gathering the last of her courage, she looked up at Lucion. The instant their eyes met, she was seized with fear. But when she thought her life would end here like this, there was nothing more frightening.

“Hmm. Really?”

Lucion was looking down at Elott. As though weighing something, he tilted his head slightly and stroked his chin. She felt like an insect at his feet. But more than that, she was glad that a fairly positive answer had come from his mouth.

Yes. Yes. Instead of an answer that would not come out because her throat had closed up, Elott nodded desperately.