Chapter 6 Part 3

“It’s all I’ve seen in books, but…”

Her finger touched the embossed relief on the door.

Following her trembling touch downward, her gaze settled as well.

“The pointed ears and straight forehead are their features. Although generally smaller than humans, their appearance is said to be quite similar.”

Gloria smiled contentedly.

“Sage, you seem well informed. Usually—”

“Wow, the spirits I’ve seen all looked like monsters, but these look almost human?”

“They don’t know much about them.”

Askan admired the painting on the door, and the scholar replied with a gentle smile.

“Don’t be disappointed. Since you’re not from Tavalon, it’s understandable you might not know.”

Aetiu and Askan had been living in Tavalon continuously since Alexander reclaimed it and even before that near the lands around Tavalon.

However, they never mentioned this fact openly.

“A long time ago, as you know, humans and spirits lived peacefully, with Tavalon as the boundary. This mural was painted then. The academy headmaster stopped a soldier from destroying the door that was excavated. Of course, the lord also approved.”

The scholar seemed proud of both the headmaster and the lord.

Askan scolded him, sounding reproachful.

“The spirits betrayed humans and caused war, didn’t they? So why leave this as it is?”

The spirits severed their ties with humans and waged war hundreds of years ago.

This event has been passed down through numerous texts and illustrations, many of which depicted the spirits as monsters.

But if the depiction of the spirit on the door is accurate, their appearance was hardly different from humans.

The scholar spoke sternly, almost reproachfully.

“It doesn’t matter. This isn’t about idolizing spirits; it’s merely a part of history.”

“I agree.”

Melissa cautiously interjected.

“This is better than pretending it never happened. The power of truth is strong.”

In fact, Melissa was always honest with her feelings.

Even if others found them insignificant or pitiful, she treated herself truthfully.

Her emotions were one of the few things she could fully observe and own.

Though she often didn’t fully understand them, she never believed they were false.

As she said before, she simply didn’t know yet.

“Let’s leave the difficult talk here; the headmaster will be waiting.”

Aetiu laughed as if unable to hold back and opened the door to the headmaster’s office.

Inside were the headmaster and Alexander leaning against the desk.

“You’re here, sages.”

The seated headmaster stood abruptly and hurried to greet her.

Alexander gave a faint, barely visible smile from behind the headmaster.

His attire was impressive today as always.

Unlike the scholars dressed entirely in white, he wore a deep green cloak draped over his shoulders and tied at the waist.

Though he didn’t reveal his chest as usual, Melissa couldn’t take her eyes off his thick neck and collarbones.

It felt as if it had been months, not just a few days, since she last saw him.

“The headmaster is Coloman Dereus. I’ve truly wanted to meet you.”

Melissa hadn’t yet noticed Coloman approaching close.

Alexander’s smile deepened as he caught her gaze.

Coloman, alternating his glance between Alexander and Melissa, ignored her silence and gestured toward the door.

“As long as the sages are here, the rest should leave.”

Only after the surrounding presence had vanished could Melissa see the headmaster.

She was a middle-aged woman whose eyes were full of curiosity.

She firmly grasped Melissa’s hand and led her inside.

“Please, have a seat. I’ve heard about you, so feel free to relax.”

Melissa sat down across from Coloman at the desk and lowered the cloak she had worn over her head.

As she raised her hand to remove the mask’s strap from her ear, Alexander was quicker.

Standing behind her, he gently took hold of the mask’s strap.

His fingers brushed against hers.

“I’ll do it for you.”

He deliberately touched her reddened ear and slowly loosened the strap.

Melissa wanted to continue the conversation with him on any topic.

Though trying to restrain herself given the setting, suddenly Coloman shouted sharply.

“May I have your hand!!!”

Coloman’s eyes were agitated, and his breathing heavy.

Melissa hesitated, unsure whether to offer her hand as her mask hung halfway off.

Alexander smiled faintly, bent down, and held her wrist out.

Coloman, his face brightening, produced a gemstone about the size of a thumb.

“It’s a magic stone. It’s to test the magic power and your resonance, Melissa, so it’s not dangerous.”

Melissa already knew the gemstone’s nature.

Though she hadn’t understood at the time, Bright had once held her hand as a child and given her a magic stone.

Through the white light the gem emitted, she recalled Bright’s face twisted in a fierce ecstasy.

That expression would be hard to forget for a lifetime.

“Then I shall place it.”

As the magic stone touched Melissa’s hand, white light flared.

Amid the brightly flickering glow, Coloman could not hide his shock.

“My goodness, it really exists…”

“If you’re going to start muttering to yourself again, I’d prefer you stop.”

Alexander sighed and finished removing Melissa’s mask, then leaned against the desk as before.

“Isn’t there an opponent right in front of you?”

“…Ah, apologies, my lord. I was too surprised.”

Calmly, Coloman retrieved the magic stone from her.

Melissa spoke calmly.

“Lady Gallandia, this white light only manifests from a Spirit Weaver.”

“…Spirit Weaver?”

Melissa had no idea what that meant — she had never heard the term in her life.

“It’s a story from when spirits and humans lived in harmony. There were intermediaries who received the spirits’ power to facilitate communication, and they were called Spirit Weavers.”

“I’ve never met a spirit myself.”

That was how she remembered it. The idea of a Spirit Weaver sounded absurd.

“You don’t necessarily have to receive power directly from spirits. Only the original Spirit Weavers did so. Since then, by chance, some have been born across the continent. Though rare, they still exist, generation after generation.”

Coloman wiped the sweat from his brow, overly excited.

“Melissa, you will likely find it easy to resonate with dragons. Many think dragons are a gift from the apostles, but the truth is…”

He glanced briefly at Alexander, who nodded slightly, prompting Coloman to continue with a smile.

“Dragons are more like a gift from the spirits. They are beings born from the land where spirits and humans once lived together.”

Melissa was left dumbfounded.

It explained why she could feel a strange connection simply by touching a dragon, but the other truth was even more shocking.

Could it be that…?

Her gaze shifted to Alexander.

When their eyes met, she whispered,

“So the power of Bergritz isn’t inherited by bloodline.”

“That is correct.”

Coloman smiled wryly.

“The first human to receive the power was Bergritz, no doubt. But that power originates from the land, not the bloodline. Those with the power are born from the promised land of the spirits.”

“So, did the lord himself also inherit the power by birth?”

A brief silence fell.

Alexander raised his hand as if to silence the embarrassed Coloman, holding the magic stone on the desk.

As he gripped it, the stone glowed red.

“The power of Bergritz has long since vanished, Melissa.”

Alexander stared intently at the red light.

“Dragons can be controlled if one can wield magic. The higher one’s resonance with the magic stone, the easier it is.”

As he clenched his fist, the light radiating between his fingers dimmed.

During the war with the spirits, corrupted land gave birth to monsters.

In other words, magic and the power of spirits originate from the same source.

Therefore, if one can wield magic, they can somewhat control dragons as well.

The problem is that magic is a corrupted power.

“But the dragons I control are unstable and incomplete.”

The fading light flickered in Alexander’s eyes.

Currently, the dragons’ movements were restricted, and only half of their power was accessible.

Considering no one had controlled dragons for over a century, it was impressive—but to Alexander, it felt infinitely insufficient.

“Melissa.”

The magic stone in his hand vanished as if absorbed.

He leaned on the desk, tilting his waist.

Melissa looked up at him.

His gaze burned with intense desire and purpose.

“If you achieve perfect resonance with the dragon Harmonia,”

His hand gently stroked her cheek.

“All dragons will obey your command.”

Successful resonance with a dragon also perfects the dragon’s soul.

The dragon becomes a true living being, able to freely traverse between the otherworld and the mortal realm.

“You wish to grant me such power?”

Silence was her answer.

Melissa rested her cheek against his hand.

Her closed eyes trembled with hesitation.

Alexander assumed she would naturally give him the power.

She belonged to Bergritz, and their marriage would further bind her fate.

And, caught in the foolish emotion called love, she ‘still’ looked only at him.

The light cast shadows beneath her thick silver lashes.

The striped shadows stilled as she opened her eyes.

Within her blue irises, he was there.

Now, open those small, beautiful lips.

Willingly say you’ll give it to me.

Give me you…

“…No.”

Melissa’s hoarse voice cracked, with only the last word coming out clearly.

She pulled her cheek away from his hand and spoke firmly again.

“Until my grandfather’s safety is confirmed, I don’t want to do anything with you.”

Melissa tried not to avoid his eyes.

She loved him.

She felt tempted to throw herself at him at his every word.

He said he wanted her and claimed to feel similarly, but since he proposed a deal, she had no choice but to respond in kind.

Honestly, she wanted to tell him she’d give him her power right away and apologize for being so arrogant.

But with all her strength clenched in a fist, she mentioned her grandfather’s safety.

No matter how charmed she was, she couldn’t ignore her grandfather who sent warm letters missing her.

Would he be angry? Would he never talk to her again?

Melissa, who didn’t know Alexander well, felt anxious.

As the silence lingered, her anxiety deepened.

Yet unexpectedly, he laughed heartily.

“Understood, Melissa. As you wish.”

He laughed for a long time, seeming joyful, then kissed her cheek deeply as if saying goodbye.

But behind his composed expression, his thoughts darkened.

A person both easy and difficult to handle.

That made him more troublesome to deal with.

Still, he couldn’t ignore the inexplicable joy swelling deep inside him.

***

Boris was released from custody after a week.

Since Philip was his agent and they had been together for years, he was interrogated on suspicion of being another agent.

“You brat. I liked you.”

More than resentment toward his master who had immediately put him in the interrogation room after ten years together, the betrayal toward the young agent was stronger.

Even if it were Alexander, he would have interrogated Boris right away.

Only that Alexander showed no expression while interrogating him left him feeling a bit hurt.

If Alexander had shown even a hint of suspicion or betrayal, Boris might have grown fond of his master.

But he was blunt and precise as always.

He expressed no regret over the possibility of his betrayal and only sought to confirm any connection with Philip.

In the end, nothing conclusive came of it.

“You’re out, I was worried.”

Pulvius, a subordinate who had been released from interrogation a few days earlier, greeted him with a friendly smile.

He had brought a large water container and even fresh clothes.

Boris immediately stripped off his sweat- and blood-soaked clothes and wiped himself down with a wet cloth from the water container.

“Have the others been released too?”

“Yes. Their dismissals have been nullified, so they can return to their original duties.”

“Original duties? Which one? Melissa’s or the intelligence chief’s?”

Boris often served as acting lord, but her main role was intelligence chief — collecting secrets and managing those who gathered information entering Tavalon.