Chapter 6 (Part 4)

Soon, the knights and Hemann arrived.

“Your Grace! Lady Meia!”

Hemann, entering, saw Theodore holding Meia with a gentle smile.

Then he saw Theodore’s chilling gaze directed at him.

“Hemann…”

Theodore called Hemann with a fierce expression, different from when he looked at Meia.

‘I should have come in a bit later.’

Hemann thought, but it was too late.

He could guess what Theodore wanted to say from the long silence following his name.

“Oh.”

Seeing Meia stagger, Theodore quickly grabbed her shoulder to support her.

“Lady Meia!”

“I’m fine. I just feel a bit dizzy from suddenly releasing my magic.”

Seeing Meia struggling, flames of anger rose in Theodore’s eyes.

The more she smiled, the more it seemed like she was hiding her pain, which broke his heart.

How hard it must have been for delicate and fragile Meia to deal with the human traffickers! He was truly grateful that she was a mage.

“Lean on me.”

“No, I’m fine.”

His strong arms pulled her body into a tight embrace once more.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes.”

Even as he asked if she was really okay, Theodore couldn’t hide his restless and anxious expression, continuing to hold Meia tightly.

“I was so scared and terrified. I couldn’t see you, Lady Meia, and the fabric store owner was pretending not to know anything. For the first time in my life, I felt powerless.”

Meia quietly listened to his words.

“Please don’t disappear from my sight anymore. Wherever you go, don’t leave me behind.”

This Grand Duke must have been quite anxious. She could feel his trembling body.

“Yes.”

“Promise me.”

‘This Grand Duke is really…’

Even on the cruise ship, he had hugged her suddenly, and now he continued to hold her tightly, not letting go.

But Meia didn’t want to refuse his embrace.

Theodore’s broad chest felt quite comforting, and the irregular beating of his heart was pleasant to hear.

However, Meia pushed his shoulder with her hand and looked up at him.

As Theodore was pushed away, he looked at Meia with a regretful expression and quickly examined her.

“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

“No, Your Grace.”

His eyes, wet and reddened, and his slightly bitten red lips made him look quite pitiful.

It felt like a puppy drenched in rain had found its owner and was clinging to them, begging not to be abandoned.

Seeing his vulnerable side, Meia unconsciously placed her hand on Theodore’s cheek.

“I’m safe now. Please don’t worry anymore.”

As Meia’s hand touched his cheek, Theodore’s eyes widened in surprise, and then he closed his eyes, pressing his cheek closer to her hand.

“Really… I feel alive again, seeing you, Lady Meia.”

There was a subtle joy in his voice, making Meia smile slightly.

“Now, let’s rescue the people in the basement.”

They searched the first floor and the basement to find the basement but found nothing.

Then, while looking around the second and third floors, they discovered a wall on the second floor emitting faint magic.

“I can feel faint magic here.”

When Meia infused the wall with her magic and touched it, a magical formula that would be invisible to ordinary people appeared.

“No one can enter unless they’re a mage. There’s both a locking spell and an illusion spell here. It seems there’s a mage among the human traffickers. And a skilled one at that…”

There’s a mage among the human traffickers. Thinking about it, there were mages among the pirates on the cruise ship and the human traffickers they met here. All of them had mages.

She had a bad feeling.

“Luinz, whom we caught earlier, said people were coming to inspect the slaves. Do you remember the pirates we fought on the cruise ship, Your Grace?”

“Yes.”

“There was also a mage among the pirates. I found that very strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mages have plenty of ways to earn money without resorting to human trafficking or piracy. Just selling one scroll could earn enough for a family of four to live comfortably for a month. Why would they engage in human trafficking or piracy? This isn’t something they’re doing for money.”

Theodore accepted the seriousness of the situation as Meia spoke.

“Then what do they want?”

“That bald mage on the cruise ship said his parents were hostages and he was forced to help the pirates, but I don’t believe that.”

Meia stood in front of the wall.

“I’ll start by dispelling the magic.”

Once the magical formula on the wall was dispelled, a door leading to another place would open. It looked quite complicated, but it wasn’t difficult for Meia.

“Remove.”

Magic words began to flow from Meia’s mouth.

“World brighter than the dawn, I seek your power that governs even the time flowing within the bright light.”

Bright lights began to rise around Meia like soap bubbles.

As the magic words concluded, the magic on the wall shattered like glass, revealing a door.

And Meia staggered slightly.

“Lady Meia!”

Theodore quickly pulled her into his arms once more.

“Are you alright?”

“I think I used a lot of magic fighting the human traffickers and dispelling the illusion and locking spells. I’ll be fine after a little rest.”

Theodore nodded in understanding and spoke to Hemann, who was behind him.

“Where’s the carriage?”

“It couldn’t come into the alley, so it’s prepared in front of the fabric store.”

Theodore nodded and spoke to the knights.

“Lady Meia has dispelled the magic. Rescue the people trapped here and finish up.”

“Understood.”

“I will take Lady Meia back first.”

Theodore supported her back with his left hand and slipped his right arm under her knees, lifting her up. Meia’s face turned red as she was carried like a princess by a man for the first time.

“Put me down! Your Grace, I can walk out.”

“No!”

Theodore leaned slightly and whispered in a low voice so that others couldn’t hear.

“I can’t put you down.”

“What do you mean you can’t put me down?”

“I’m afraid you’ll collapse again from dizziness, so please bear with it for a bit.”

To hide her trembling eyes, Meia slightly turned her gaze downward.

Seeing her ears turn slightly red, Theodore smiled contentedly like a satisfied beast.

“I’ll put you down when we reach the carriage.”

Theodore carefully carried her, treating her like a delicate glass artifact, and walked out slowly. He wished he could carry her like this for the rest of his life.

Blushing, Meia continued to ask him to put her down.

“I can’t put you down.”

“People are watching, Your Grace.”

His gaze deepened as he looked down at her.

He whispered softly into her ear about today’s events. Meia acknowledged that it was wrong to go out with just Aethon and two knights. No matter what she said, it might sound like an excuse to Theodore.

But she had wondered if the fabric store was selling fake fabrics. She had gone out lightly but ended up entangled with human traffickers.

“Next time you go out, you must go with Knight Commander Versha or me. Promise me you’ll do that.”

“I promise.”

She thought he would put her down now that they were in front of the carriage, but he didn’t. She felt people glancing at them, thinking they might misunderstand her relationship with Theodore.

When Theodore signaled the coachman, he opened the door.

Only when she entered the carriage did she finally leave his arms. 

But why did I feel a sense of loss?

Watching Theodore sitting across from her, Meia tilted her head in confusion at the mixed emotions she felt.

***

Agnita finally arrived at the Mage Tower with Juan after many twists and turns. Looking at the still grand and tall Mage Tower, she entered with the hope of soon meeting Meia.

The mage at the entrance guided Agnita to the reception room on the first floor. As soon as Puring heard that Agnita and Juan had arrived, he stopped what he was doing and went straight to them.

“Agnita, it’s been a long time.”

“How have you been, Grandfather?”

“Yes, I’ve been well.”

Puring doted on Agnita like a granddaughter when he was Meia’s magic teacher at the Ducal residence.

“You’ve really worn yourself out since I last saw you!”

“Don’t even mention it! Meryl would slap me at the slightest provocation. I tried to get fired by causing a bit of trouble, but she locked me in solitary confinement.”

“Oh dear, oh dear.”

Puring patted Agnita’s head, and his face naturally frowned when he saw the scars on her face that had not yet healed. He wondered what she could have done wrong to be beaten so cruelly.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Puring looked at Agnita, who was smiling brightly and saying she was fine, with pity.

“But if you’re in pain, you must tell me.”

“Of course!”