Chapter 7: The Flame Carries Love (5)

“I never thought that Escalante would fall into such a trap.”

Despite the masked man’s words, Tehis maintained a stoic silence. Instead of responding verbally, he leaped forward, swinging his sword enveloped in aura.

He had already cut down over a dozen attackers, yet more than half of the assailants remained, and their leader continued to provoke him.

“Seems you’re not entirely a heartless monster, huh? Though, you don’t show any mercy either.”

“Stop talking nonsense and come at me.”

“Whoa, scary. Calm down, friend. Since we’ve met, why not have a little chat?”

The leader kept running his mouth. Tehis clicked his tongue, finding the assassin’s demeanor unfitting.

‘A mercenary this time, huh.’

No matter how blinded by money they were, it was strange to jump into a mission that guaranteed death. He sharpened his senses, suspecting they had some other objective, but nothing immediate came to mind, leaving him uneasy.

‘The ones engaging in the attack seem to be assassins, though.’

Tehis moved his arm again. His sword deflected a dagger and plunged into the masked man’s vital spot. With a final scream, another life was extinguished.

The mercenary, trying not to show it, swallowed hard as the number of assassins steadily dwindled.

‘Damn persistent guy.’

Trying to buy time by talking, yet unfazed by anything, was frustrating. From the moment they ambushed him, he had predicted the outcome, as if he had known all along.

‘Not even human…’

The man’s gaze fell on the boy’s corpse on the ground. It was the first assassin to be cut down.

An adult disguised as a small, delicate figure to act as bait. He lured Tehis in by pretending to ask for help, but the aftermath was the problem.

When they ambushed at the signal, Tehis, without hesitation, cut down even the person he had just saved, sending chills down the man’s spine.

‘If only the poison had worked properly.’

The man cursed Tehis inwardly. The poison given to the assassin disguised as a boy was unused, scattered on the ground. If the Grand Duke had hesitated even for a moment, they might have succeeded, but it was unfortunate.

“Ugh…!”

Now, the number of assassins had dwindled to a handful. A chilling voice reached the retreating leader.

“So, who sent you this time?”

Tehis nonchalantly flicked the blood off his sword. He had many suspects in mind. The most likely candidate was the Emperor, but a few nobles with personal grudges also came to mind.

‘It could be the barbarians I haven’t completely dealt with.’

Life-threatening situations were nothing new to him.

Without waiting for the silent mercenary, Tehis kicked off the ground. As the startled leader retreated, another assassin stepped forward, only to be cut in two.

“Hey, friend. Shouldn’t you at least give me time to answer?”

“Quiet.”

“But you asked—”

The man dodged Tehis’s sword in a panic. Sacrificing the few remaining assassins, he anxiously checked the time from a distance.

Just a little longer, just a little more. He was waiting for something, and when a signal came from the hidden artifact, his expression brightened.

“I have to go now. I hope you die in one go.”

Before Tehis could respond, the man pulled out a magic scroll from his pocket and tore it. In an instant, he was engulfed in light and disappeared.

“A teleportation magic scroll?”

Tehis frowned at the sight of such a rare item. As he turned back after swiftly dealing with the last assassin, the ground shook with a rumble.

Before he could even think of the word “trap,” an opaque barrier enveloped the space. Reflexively, he swung his sword to break it, but his aura bounced off with a clang.

“Tsk.”

It didn’t seem entirely unbreakable. Just as Tehis was about to compress his aura further to strike, the ground beneath him exploded.

Boom!

* * *

The dust that had risen thickly began to settle. Tehis, who had crouched to brace for impact, slowly lowered his arm.

Thud.

Someone landed in front of him. Even from a distance, the woman’s unmistakable color caught his blue eyes.

“Tess, are you okay?”

“Chloe.”

With a gesture from the mage, the double barrier encasing the Grand Duke disappeared. Seeing Tehis unharmed, Chloe smiled brightly.

“Luckily, I wasn’t too late. I didn’t interfere unnecessarily, did I?”

“No. Thank you for your help.”

Receiving help without any compensation felt awkward, so his words came out slowly.

A quick glance around revealed the entire alley was completely overturned. It was clear they intended to obliterate this space entirely.

“But how did you get here?”

“The Phoenix hatched. I was wandering around to introduce it to you and happened to come across you at the right time.”

Chirp!

Tehis turned his gaze to where the bird’s cry came from. A Phoenix, its body made of flames, perched on Chloe’s arm, fluttering.

“It hatched so quickly.”

“Right? When I checked in the morning, it had already been born. Maybe because I saved it, a temporary contract was formed, and it became my familiar.”

Chirp, Chirp.

As Chloe stroked Ray’s head, the bird’s cries naturally followed. The warm and soft flame feathers rubbing against her hand drew a gentle smile on her lips.

“I named it Ray. Come on, say hello, Ray. This is the person who helped you.”

Chirp?

Tehis hesitated as two pairs of orange eyes, so similar to each other, looked at him. It was awkward to be introduced to a bird, but he didn’t bother to refuse.

“I’m Tehis Escalante. I’m dating your master.”

Chirp.

Ray tilted its head but showed little interest in Tehis, instead rubbing its head against Chloe’s hand. Not understanding human language, it focused solely on its master.

Chloe chuckled at Tehis’s awkwardness. Accepting the familiar’s affection, she casually asked a question.

“But what’s with the attack?”

“It happens often. It’s the first time they’ve used magic in an attack, though.”

Tehis reflected on the recent events. He hadn’t let his guard down, but he hadn’t anticipated magic, catching him off guard.

Though magic seemed common now due to frequent meetings with Chloe, it was originally rare and precious on the continent. It was so rare that it was only seen once during the Empire’s founding festival as fireworks.

So it was understandable that he hadn’t prepared for it. He lightly considered it a matter of being more cautious about traps in the future.

“…Does this happen often?”

“Let me correct myself. Not often, but occasionally.”

“Regardless.”

Unlike Tehis, who easily brushed off his crisis, Chloe felt a chill. Being attacked regularly—how could that be a reasonable statement?

Even now, if she hadn’t intervened, it could have been truly dangerous. It was fortunate she sensed the mana gathering madly and intervened, as the explosion was no small matter.

‘Doesn’t he have any sense of danger?’

Chloe felt frustrated, knowing she wasn’t in a position to tell the Grand Duke what to do. Yet, as he often said, he was her lover for now.

So it was only natural for her to feel alarmed, and she probed further.

“Was it the Emperor?”

“Most of the time, yes, but it might not be the Emperor this time. His assassins usually attack the Grand Ducal residence at night. And if it were the Emperor, he wouldn’t try to kill me so easily.”

“…”

“Whoever orchestrated it, they failed again this time, so it should be quiet for a while. Thank you once again for your help, Chloe.”

Chloe realized why Tehis remained unfazed even when his life was threatened.

He was too accustomed to murderous intent. Being hated to the point of death was his normalcy.

He had lived a life where attacks weren’t extraordinary.

“……Don’t do that.”

Chloe spoke without realizing it. Tehis didn’t have time to ask about her softly murmured words. In a heated moment, she yanked his cravat, pulling him close, and spoke clearly while meeting his eyes.

“You’re mine for now. Take care of yourself. Don’t just take hits, fight back with all you’ve got. What’s the point of dating a high-ranking mage if you’re like this?”

It’s humiliating. 

Chloe added to herself.

It was humiliating to let it slide quietly when someone known as her man was treated like this. She wrapped her rising anger in that reasoning and accepted it.

And Tehis, too, took Chloe’s words at face value.

Her willingness to call him “hers” shook him momentarily. From a mage’s perspective, it seemed reasonable, so he readily apologized.

“I’m sorry, Chloe. I hadn’t thought of it that way. It might be difficult to find out who’s behind it immediately, but I’ll try harder next time.”

“…”

Chloe felt a surge of irritation at Tehis’s calm apology. He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet an inexplicable frustration welled up.

It didn’t make sense for a man who had just cut down dozens to bow to her over something like this.

As her eyebrows twitched, Tehis continued cautiously.

“Still, since I’m unharmed, it must have been a blow to them too. They failed despite using magic…….”

“Enough. I’ll take some of your hair.”

“What?”

Chloe placed her hand on Tehis’s head, who asked awkwardly. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, and soon a single strand remained between her fingers.

Chloe chuckled slightly at Tehis’s tension as he held his breath nearby.

‘Why is he so stiff?’

The hand that released his cravat gently stroked his cheek. Tucking his sideburns behind his ear, her whisper carried unmistakable tenderness.

“Don’t worry, it won’t harm you. Is it okay if I take it?”

“…Yes, Chloe.”

Tehis exhaled a relaxed breath. 

He wondered when was the last time someone held his head like this.

The scar on his forehead, which often ached with phantom pain, calmed down. His eyes closed naturally at the warmth of her hand.

His gaze, which had been half-lowered, lingered on her red lips before darting away.

After a barely noticeable prick, the woman’s hand withdrew.

“There, it’s done. I’ll show you the results later.”