Boom!

With a heavy sound, the magical beast finally collapsed.

“W-we defeated it!”

“Hurrah!”

The nobles who had been watching the three knights’ battle cheered.

But unlike them, the three knights’ eyes looking at me were like those looking at a ruthless monster.

“L-lady… As expected of the magic tower’s top-grade potions… they’re different…”

In truth, they had died more than ten times while fighting. That’s because other magical beasts had joined in during the battle.

But Dovion’s modified potions didn’t let them die.

‘Who knew it would continuously heal them.’

Thanks to that, they could fight temporarily like zombies.

‘Though it seems they’re starting to lose their hair like molting animals as a side effect…’

I pretended not to notice and pocketed the remaining potion.

“Good work. You knights saved the nobles here.”

“Lady Offensa…”

“It was all thanks to the potions. But why did you hit the potion bottle before opening it?”

“Because that’s how it opens.”

“What?”

At first, I tried to open the potion normally, but it wouldn’t open by just turning it. It was because of the special container holding the potion. It needed mana injection, not force, to open.

But since I’m mana-incompatible, injection was impossible.

Somehow, I got angry that even this had to be the same and hit it, and it opened.

“Anyway, move!”

I pushed past them.

“W-wait! There might be more magical beasts coming, you should give us the remaining potions!”

“What?”

“Who knows? If we meet the Vice Archmage, we might put in a good word about you.”

These ungrateful things. So in the end, they want to use the top-grade potions to network with the magic tower.

[Time remaining 00:41:10]

I’m dying busy here!

I grabbed an empty potion bottle rolling on the floor like a club.

And smacked the crown of the head of the one trying to grab me.

“Ugh!”

“Y-you dare use violence! Don’t you care if this reaches the Vice Archmage’s ears?”

I answered with my middle finger and left the place. Then I took out a mana detection compass from my bag.

It was something I brought from the Magical Tool Management Department, originally used to find spots with stable and abundant mana or magical beasts.

‘So to find the silver-haired man, I should go in the opposite direction of where the compass points.’

He should have unstable mana right now.

I started moving carefully while checking my surroundings.

But I couldn’t speed up even though I was in a hurry.

Grrrr…

Because magical beasts were roaming the corridors. Roughly counting, it seemed all the beasts from the performance hall had been released.

‘I thought Lynen would keep them contained. But I guess it was too much for him alone.’

Just then, the compass needle started spinning round and round.

‘I’m surrounded!’

It meant there were magical beasts in all directions.

Moreover, the needle’s speed increased—they were getting closer.

‘No, what’s this? I was careful not to get even a drop of blood on me to avoid stimulating their sense of smell, so why suddenly?’

Fortunately, there was a door right next to me. I should hide here at least.

But the moment I opened the door.

“…!”

A hand shot out from inside and pulled me in at once.

Click.

Unlike the rough handling, the door closed very quietly.

The sound must have been too soft to hear, as the sounds of magical beasts growling as they passed by could be heard through the door.

No, was that sound coming from the man in front of me?

My hair stood on end at the beast-like rough breathing, and I immediately swung my fist.

But my wrist was caught far too easily.

“How dare…!”

While flinching but loading up a kick for a follow-up attack.

A familiar voice was heard.

“Why are you here? I told you to escape.”

“…Lynen?”

“Haa.”

Lynen staggered and leaned his head on my shoulder, collapsing.

* * *

Calliphe, who tried to support Lynen, ended up sitting on the floor together as she was crushed by his weight.

“Ugh, heavy. Hey, get a hold of yourself. Where does it hurt?”

Calliphe lightly patted Lynen’s cheek.

At the same time.

The scent of mana stimulated Lynen’s sense of smell.

It was an incredibly dense and strong fragrance he had never felt before.

His unstable eyes lost focus and he grabbed Calliphe’s wrist like prey.

And the next moment.

“—Huk.”

His dry lips dug deep into Calliphe’s palm and rubbed against it thirstily.

“L-L-Lynen?”

“Ha, huu. How can this…”

The straight bridge of his nose slightly squished against the hollow of her palm.

Calliphe froze with one hand firmly caught.

“L-Lynen. What are you doing…?”

“Huu…”

Desperately trying to maintain his sanity, Lynen’s straight brows furrowed as he took a deep breath.

His eyelashes trembled as they revealed his eyes.

The blue-gray eyes were hazy.

The usually clear focus flickered like an unstable lamp that could go out at any moment.

“L-Lynen? Are you in your right mind…?”

“…”

The dry lips that had paused momentarily firmly bit Calliphe’s slender finger.

Then traced up with his lips, licking. Calliphe could clearly feel the hot and soft sensation.

‘He really isn’t in his right mind!?’

Calliphe’s eyes went wide.

The force holding her hand wasn’t that strong. Rather, it was trembling weakly, drained of energy.

Calliphe had enough strength to push him away, but she didn’t.

More precisely, she couldn’t even think of pushing him away.

“…”

Because his neat eyelashes, tightly closed in a desperate attempt to control his impulses, were trembling.

Even Lynen himself seemed unsure of what to do in this situation.

His usually composed brow was deeply furrowed. Even that struggling face appeared beautiful, and Calliphe couldn’t take her eyes off him.

‘His face… is really unfair.’

Calliphe’s thumb, which had been frozen wanting to unconsciously touch the object of her admiration, tensed.

It was about to slightly dig between Lynen’s lips and press down firmly on his lower lip.

No, she was about to.

“Shameless…”

“!”

Calliphe startled and quickly pulled her hand back.

“N-no, it’s not!”

“No, it is. I’m sorry for doing something so shameless…”

Lynen, breathing heavily, rubbed his cheek against Calliphe’s hand again.

“I can feel mana… sorry… this is impossible…”

“Mana? From m-me?”

“It’s so sweet I’m going crazy.”

“W-wait. Isn’t something wrong if you’re sensing mana from me?”

Lynen shook his head.

Whether it was an effort to maintain his sanity or an answer to her question was unclear.

“Huu.”

“…Lynen? Ah!”

A body too large for Calliphe to handle burrowed into her arms.

Eyes fiercer than before stared at Calliphe. Just like a starving beast.

A chill ran down Calliphe’s spine.

“Just in case you don’t know, I’m not a piece of meat. Got it?”

“…”

“Besides, there’s no way you could sense mana from me in the first place…”

No, maybe that’s not true anymore?

If she really had very little mana, she wouldn’t have awakened an ability either.

‘Then could Lynen’s reaction be…?’

Just then, Calliphe recalled a passage from a medical text. It was information she had read in preparation for meeting the silver-haired man.

“Mana is a force essential for life activities.

For this reason, people with congenital or acquired mana abnormalities unconsciously try to make contact with things rich in mana.

Particularly severe cases are called mana thirst…”

No way.

Calliphe’s eyes went wide.

“You have mana thirst… eek!”

Calliphe jumped.

His neat teeth were nibbling on Calliphe’s soft hand.