“What…? Why are you laughing? Am I funny?”

At those words, Lynen laughed softly again.

“It’s such an absurd claim. That this stone follows you around. And telling me not to regret it.”

“M-magic exists in this world, so why can’t this be possible? I’m telling you it’s true.”

Embarrassed, Calliphe’s face turned red. But her expression grew more stubborn.

“I’ll give you a chance to change your story. Try another excuse.”

“Don’t need to. Everything I said is true.”

“Really? No regrets?”

“That’s right.”

“Then.”

Then what? Was he going to draw his sword?

Tense, Calliphe stared at Lynen, forgetting even to blink.

Lynen’s expression, which had been rigid like interrogating a criminal, gradually softened.

“I believe you.”

“…Huh?”

“I said I believe you. Your claim.”

The pressure disappeared. He returned to his usual indifferent and cold self.

“If you were planning to deceive me by pretending to know nothing, you would have made a more logical excuse. Rather than the preposterous claim that the stone follows you around.”

“It’s not just any stone. Whatever it is, it’s a very suspicious object—”

“I know.”

His intimidating voice had softened somewhat.

“Talking with you made me remember too. This really can follow people around. More precisely, it follows strong desires.”

Calliphe’s eyes widened.

“So you do know what this stone is?”

“This is an object my family has been guarding.”

“House Ortega… No way!”

Good heavens. No wonder I didn’t know!

Who could freely examine something that House Ortega had been guarding for generations?

“Yes. This is what your family’s ancestor sealed and House Ortega has been guarding.”

Lynen opened his hand to show the black stone.

“This is Lumen’s heart.”

“…!”

Lumen.

That name was well known to Calliphe too.

As a direct descendant of a magical family, she had heard that black mage’s name until her ears hurt.

‘This was an even more incredible object than I thought?’

“I’ve been carrying around Lumen’s heart? An object that’s practically the essence of corrupted magical power?”

“No need to worry. Though this is certainly an evil object, merely possessing it cannot corrupt magical power.”

“No, but… The shape is different. From Lumen’s heart that I saw in books.”

“That would be right. This isn’t the complete heart, just a portion of it.”

“A portion…? But the seal was definitely on the complete heart.”

Calliphe stopped speaking as she realized something.

Then she smiled wickedly, crossing one leg and folding her arms.

“Oh my, how strange? Why is a sealed object out here?”

“…!”

“Don’t tell me House Ortega, who was guarding the seal, lost it? The imperial palace doesn’t seem to know about this? Are you hiding it?”

“…”

Lynen’s eyes trembled slightly. Calliphe grew more excited and sneered.

“And oh my goodness. Lumen’s heart is broken?”

“…”

“And someone like Young Marquis Caiman got his hands on it and is wielding it?”

“…”

“I wonder how many more broken pieces there are? Isn’t this a big problem? Should I just report it to the imperial family?”

“…Kugh.”

Calliphe raised an eyebrow while pretending to file her nails with one hand.

“Nothing to say?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Louder. Should I report it up there?”

“Kugh… I apologize…”

Lynen muttered with a humiliated expression.

“But the theft occurred during the previous Duke Ortega’s term…”

“Are you making excuses now?”

“No. I apologize.”

“Can’t hear you.”

“D*mn it…”

His curse was sweet. Calliphe smiled brightly.

Ah, teasing Lynen really is the most fun.

In the end, Calliphe snatched back the black stone, the fragment of Lumen’s heart, from Lynen.

Lynen sighed.

“If it really follows you around, it might be better for you to have it than me. But what strong desire do you have that would attract a fragment of Lumen’s heart?”

Desire, huh.

The desire for survival came to mind first.

But Calliphe thought there was another reason besides desire for why Lumen’s heart fragment followed her.

“This was the core of a once-powerful black mage, right? So it could be drawn to factors other than desire.”

“What other factors?”

Since we’ve come this far, might as well reveal everything.

After taking a deep breath, Calliphe revealed the fact she had been hiding all along.

“Probably because I have corrupted magical power.”

“…Did you just say corrupted magical power?”

Lynen’s eyes narrowed.

As expected, his reaction wasn’t good.

But since she was prepared for this, Calliphe nodded clearly without hesitation.

“Yes, that’s right. Remember? The magical power verification at the grand council. I saw it then. There were black masses mixed in with my magical power.”

Having brought up the corrupted magical power, there would surely be cracks in her relationship with Lynen.

‘The High Cardinal was the same. As soon as he noticed I had corrupted magical power, he accused me of being a black mage.’

Corrupted magical power only appears through direct connection with black magic.

So the perception that ‘corrupted magical power = black mage’ was natural.

But she had no intention of really being treated as a black mage. Of course, she had prepared a plausible excuse in advance.

‘I’ll say it’s because of prolonged contact with Lumen’s heart.’

Though Lynen said merely possessing it wouldn’t have an effect, that information was just passed down from previous generations.

Since her family was the one that actually sealed Lumen’s heart, it wouldn’t be strange if they knew facts that House Ortega didn’t.

‘Alright, let’s go with this approach. If damage can’t be avoided, minimize it as much as possible.’

Calliphe spoke clearly once more to Lynen, who was frowning.

“The black masses mixed in my magical power are definitely corrupted magical power. The reason I have it is probably—”

“Because you’re a victim of black magic.”

“—Lumen’s heart… What?”

Did I hear wrong?

But this time Lynen spoke clearly.

“I said you probably came to possess corrupted magical power because you’re a victim of black magic.”

“…Are you trying to cover for me now?”

“What are you talking about.”

Lynen continued speaking with an expression that said ‘not a chance.’

“You should know too. There are two cases where corrupted magical power appears.”

Lynen held up two fingers.

“One is black mages who directly use corrupted magical power. And the other is.”

Folding his middle finger, Lynen looked at Calliphe.

“Victims exposed to black magic.”

That’s right. There were two cases of direct connection to black magic: perpetrator and victim.

Since victims rarely survive black magic, everyone overlooked the other case.

But Lynen didn’t.

“No, even so.”

Hearing the unexpected answer, Calliphe asked instead.

“I could have used black magic too, right? Why are you so sure?”

“That’s unlikely. If you were a black mage, you wouldn’t have been pushed around by the Young Marquis all this time.”

“That’s… true…”

Why does it hurt when it’s true?

“Also, if you’re a victim of black magic, it makes sense that the Young Marquis had a fragment of Lumen’s heart.”

An impartial, gruff voice.

“Besides, the you I know wouldn’t touch black magic.”

“…Huh?”

Gray-blue eyes gaze straight at Calliphe. Without a trace of doubt.

“Because you’re someone with pride bordering on arrogance as a direct descendant of House Offensa.”

“…Am I still like that?”

“Always have been.”

For a moment, Calliphe felt like she’d been hit on the head.

The person she least expected had been seeing through her the most clearly.

“For these reasons, I have sufficient reason to believe you.”

“…”

“No other questions needed.”

So no need to test me further.

Speechless, Calliphe thought quietly.

‘…This is strange. Shouldn’t I be the one doing the convincing?’

But Lynen seemed to have convinced not only himself but Calliphe as well.

Like a robot, with a face and tone uniquely neutral and cold.

It was favoritism disguised as rationality.

“…You’re really crazy.”

She had no idea what to say. With reddened cheeks, Calliphe started hitting Lynen’s arm without warning.

“Never mind that, replenish your magical power. Isn’t this too much strain when you still have monster poison in you?”

“It’s not quite that bad.”

But he definitely felt a thirst for magical power.

He sensed the scent of magical power from Calliphe that he had forgotten for a while.

That scent which, after first feeling it so intensely, he had to stay sharply focused to avoid being drawn to.

Like when he jumped into the sinkhole to save Calliphe, this time too his body moved before his thoughts.

“Lynen?”

He gently wrapped his hand around Calliphe’s wrist, then buried his nose deep in her concave palm.

Slowly, he deeply inhaled the magical power.

“…Sweet scent.”

Is this really the scent of magical power?

Not an intoxicating wine?