Chapter 8: Couple Bracelets (1)

“Damn it!”

The assailant, who had moved far away and was observing the situation through an artifact, cursed at Chloe’s intrusion. He hadn’t anticipated that the carefully laid-out plan would crumble at the last moment.

‘Why is a Senior Mage here now…?’

He confirmed that the Grand Duke was unharmed and irritably tore off the mask from his face, revealing the scarred visage of the mercenary, the mage Verdi.

‘What should I tell Lord Lucas?’

The man ruffled his hair in frustration over the tangled plan.

The ambitious operation, intended to at least take out one of his limbs, had evaporated, resulting in significant losses. The sheer amount of mana stones poured into this was enormous, ensuring he would be severely reprimanded.

‘Let’s retreat for now.’

With a sigh, Verdi was about to withdraw when the silver bracelet on his left arm emitted a specific signal. Grimacing at the unwanted contact, he sighed and activated the bracelet.

“Lord Lucas.”

• How did it go?

The question cut straight to the chase, and Verdi swallowed hard. He pondered how to spin the situation but gave up and closed his eyes tightly.

“…It failed. I’m sorry.”

• What?

Don’t tell me you couldn’t inflict any harm. 

Verdi confirmed the worst-case scenario to Lucas, who had expected at least minimal success given the effort put in.

“If only Grand Duke Escalante had been alone, we would have succeeded… But Mage Chloe intervened.”

• Ha!

A grinding sound came from beyond the bracelet, followed by a loud crash that made Verdi flinch.

• You fool… You couldn’t even time it right when the Grand Duke was alone?

“It was definitely a time when Mage Chloe wasn’t there!”

• But she was!

“That’s…!”

• Shut up!

Though Verdi felt wronged, he closed his mouth. He had meticulously checked their meeting intervals and executed the plan, but everything went awry.

‘Were they closer than I thought?’

Verdi cursed the couple inwardly. He was irritated by Lucas’s increasingly severe swearing, which had worsened recently.

Though never kind, he missed the days when Lucas would at least criticize subtly.

• How can you fail even at this…?

“There is something unusual.”

Verdi, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interjected. It was obvious he was trying to change the subject, but he wasn’t lying.

“Mage Chloe brought a Phoenix.”

• What?

Lucas’s tirade halted at the unexpected news. It wasn’t just the surprise of her having a supposedly extinct legendary creature.

• How big is it? Is it a chick?

“Yes, Lord Lucas. It seems it hasn’t been long since it hatched.”

• How did Chloe…?

“Perhaps she acquired it from the Winter Forest?”

Thinking back, the timing of the strange phenomena in the Winter Forest coincided with the theft of the Phoenix egg. Lucas realized this and fell silent for a moment.

Soon, his voice, filled with both anger and resignation, muttered a low curse.

• …Nothing ever goes right.
•  

* * *

Chloe parted ways with Tehis and returned to the Mage Tower. With a lot to do and much she wanted to do, she holed up in her lab all day.

Having nearly pulled an all-nighter, she received a letter as soon as she returned to her private room. It was the list of spoils Tehis had promised.

‘It’s more generous than I thought.’

Considering they hadn’t found much the closer they got to the source of the heat, it was luxurious. In truth, she was already satisfied with having acquired Ray, so it felt like an unexpected gift.

‘He did say we should have a meal together when I collect the reward, right?’

Chloe checked the time. It seemed she could take a nap and then meet for dinner together.

‘It’s a shame I couldn’t complete the artifact…’

She had planned to give the paired artifact at their next meeting, so the tight schedule was regrettable. However, there was nothing she could do immediately, so she postponed it for later.

She didn’t realize that, at some point, the time spent meeting Tehis no longer felt like a waste.

See you in the evening. 

Chloe sent a one-liner reply and yawned deeply. Whatever it was, she felt she needed to rest first and think later.

Chirp, Ray snuggled into bed with her. Her languid hand stroked the flaming feathers. Soon, two pairs of orange eyes closed in the darkness.

It was a peaceful morning.

* * *

‘I’m not too late, am I?’

Chloe hurriedly finished getting ready and headed for the warp gate. She had been lounging around with warm Ray, and when she got up, the sun had already set.

Although they hadn’t set an exact time, she felt a bit guilty. The summer dress she had received as a gift fluttered as she quickly left the Mage Tower.

Pop-.

“Welcome, Miss Chloe.”

Upon arriving at the Grand Duchy with a flash of light, the one-eyed coachman greeted her with a nod. This time, she didn’t draw attention as she wasn’t accompanied by Ray.

“Am I a bit late?”

“No, you’ve arrived just in time.”

He wasn’t the type to flatter, yet his words were pleasing to hear, much like his master. Chloe chuckled and boarded the carriage the coachman opened for her.

She had originally planned to use magic to get there, but she thought that leaving him behind every time might seem dismissive of his sincerity.

Clip-clop, clip-clop. It didn’t take long to reach the Grand Ducal residence by carriage.

After passing through the gate and disembarking, Chloe declined the maid’s guidance and found her way to the dining room with ease. As she opened the large door, the fragrant smell of food tantalized her senses.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Have you been waiting long?”

“You came at just the right time.”

See, just like peas in a pod. 

Chloe laughed inwardly. It was exactly as she had expected.

“I took a nap and woke up later than I thought.”

“I’m glad you rested well. Have you eaten?”

“Somehow, this is my first meal today. Thank you for the meal, Tess.”

“Then you should eat heartily. Let’s start.”

Chloe sat next to Tehis and picked up her utensils. The soup, already served as an appetizer, was still warm. Not realizing it had been brought out again just before her arrival, she felt relieved that she wasn’t late.

Beginning with dipping bread, a quiet meal commenced. They didn’t feel the need to converse until they had finished both the main course and dessert.

Leaning back in her chair after the meal, Chloe felt comfortably full.

“Thanks for the meal. The food at the Grand Ducal residence is always delicious.”

“I’m glad it suited your taste. But is the Phoenix okay without eating?”

Tehis asked, recalling the image of the Phoenix. If Chloe had skipped a meal, he wondered if her familiar might be similar and considered preparing something separately.

Chloe waved her hand with a laugh, dismissing his concern. She found it endearing that he thought of Ray, as if it were a pet.

“The Phoenix absorbs fire-attribute mana instead of food, so it’s fine. I’ve set up a magic circle, so it’ll manage on its own when needed.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Come to think of it, you’re the one feeding it. Without the mana stones you sent, it would have been difficult. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Nothing, my foot. Even if the Northern region had more mana stone mines than elsewhere, it wasn’t something to be casually distributed.

Reflecting on it, Chloe realized she had received quite a lot and felt conflicted. Although she had fulfilled all the contract terms, his kindness made her feel indebted.

“Have you decided on the reward you’ll take?”

“I have a rough idea. It might change as I look around.”

“Then let’s go check it out.”

“Alright.”

The two of them rose from their seats and headed to the storage. They quickly surveyed everything from common materials to rare items stored separately.

Chloe filled her magic pouch with rewards and looked at Tehis. Noticing she was done, he spoke first.

“Is there nothing else you need?”

“This is plenty.”

In truth, she could have taken more based on the ratio, but having claimed the Phoenix, anything more felt greedy. Chloe, having taken exactly what she needed, carefully stored her pouch and asked casually.

“We need to visit the Derahin territory, right?”

“Yes, Chloe. When are you available?”

“When are you free?”

Tehis paused momentarily. Since he had always adjusted to her schedule, the question caught him off guard.

“Any time next week is fine.”

“That’s convenient. Let’s meet and go together then.”

“Alright.”

Chloe nodded and turned to leave but then hesitated. She wondered whether today’s meeting and meal were considered a contract meeting or not, and how next week’s meeting would be categorized, but she decided not to ask.

‘It doesn’t matter since we have to meet anyway.’

Unlike when she meticulously calculated the time, she brushed it off and bid farewell to Tehis.

“See you next time, Tess.”

“Yes, Chloe. I’ll write to you.”

* * *

A week passed quickly. Chloe, fueled by new materials and the Phoenix, set a tight research schedule and rubbed her tired eyes.

Conducting experiments related to the Phoenix alongside her ongoing thesis was manageable. However, caring for the Fairy Egg while also working on the artifact left her exhausted.

‘At least it’s complete for now.’

Chloe inspected the purple bracelet for a final check. It had more spells imbued than the black bracelet she made for her use, so she was concerned about potential malfunctions.

“Phew… It’s fine.”

Satisfied with the results after checking several functions, Chloe stretched her stiff body. Ray, who had been hovering around her, poked at the black bracelet on the table with its beak.

The mage’s hand covered the object, which seemed to hum as if something had been triggered.

“No, Ray. I’ll make a separate toy for you later.”

Chirp.

Flapping its wings, Ray flew off to another spot. Chloe let her familiar play on its own and reread the letter she had received the previous day.