HEHW 15

Chapter 15

“Your task is to help find Sylvia. Chaddy said that if you help with that, there’s a chance you might get to see him someday.”

“…What does that mean to Chaddy?”

I was willing to do anything to meet Chaddy, but at the very least, I wanted to understand the reason.

He fell silent for a moment, as if surprised that I would ask. Then, as if deciding it was okay to tell me, he met my gaze and slowly spoke.

“Since you left the orphanage a long time ago, he suspected that you might be looking for him for other reasons. So if you help him, he thinks he can confirm your affection for the orphanage and your true desire to see him.”

In other words, he wasn’t sure if I still considered him a friend. Because I hadn’t searched for him for ten years. I could clearly feel Chaddy’s sharp feelings, and it hurt.

Chaddy might not know this, but finding Sylvia was harder for me than anything else. I wanted to see Sylvia, but at the same time, I didn’t. I was afraid that she might not be the person I once knew.

If I refused here, Chaddy would be even more disappointed. He might take my refusal as my true feelings. That left me no choice. I quickly changed my expression.

“I’ll help.”

“…That was fast.”

“What do I need to do?”

“We’ll find that out step by step.”

I had been buoyed by hope just at the thought of meeting Chaddy, but what I heard were far more incredible things:

Sylvia had gone missing, Chaddy had awakened as a magician, and this place was the famous Cersi…

I plopped down on the bar stool. A glass of cold water was handed to me. I muttered a half-hearted thanks and drank it in one gulp.

Silence fell between us. We both had a lot to think about. After a long while, I finally spoke.

“Even in a back alley, isn’t it dangerous to set up a base within the reach of the royal family? I could have easily stumbled in here by mistake…”

The reason I had found this guild was largely thanks to Jesse’s intelligence network. Jesse had grown up in the alleys and knew many people here.

She had told me that those who looked like vagabonds were actually guardians of the guild, and that giving them a little money would allow me entry. I had followed her advice, and it was true.

‘Or maybe it was deliberately disguised as a guild?’

As my thoughts lingered, Chadwick handed me another glass of water and said:

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Why not? It looks like an ordinary guild from the outside.”

Chadwick shook his head. Then he stared at me as if piercing through me. I noticed his purple eyes flicker strangely.

“Only magicians can set foot in this place.”

It made sense, since this was Cersi. I nodded, but then a sudden thought froze me.

‘Wait, then how was I able to enter?’

A silence like eternity fell between us. He continued to watch my reaction closely.

I fidgeted with my fingers. Too much time had already passed to give an adequate answer.

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Well, I didn’t think you came knowing this.”

He shrugged, as if my response had been entirely predictable.

“W-Wait a minute!”

I grabbed him as he tried to move toward the back beyond the bar. I was the one panicking, the one embarrassed.

“…Are you joking?”

“Not at all.”

“….”

I looked serious. Could he be implying I might be a magician?

“Is there any chance something’s wrong with that door…?”

“There isn’t.”

Then he disappeared inside. I remained in the bar, turning over his words in my mind.

I had entered a place only accessible to magicians, and there was no chance the door was faulty. Before my scrambled thoughts could settle, Chadwick returned.

“Here.”

“What’s this?”

He handed me a small stone. It felt weightless, as if it weren’t really there.

I rolled the stone in my hand, examining it from every angle.

“It’s a Judgment Stone, used to identify magicians.”

“…How does it tell if someone is a magician?”

Chadwick paused for a moment, keeping his eyes on my hand before finally answering:

“If you can lift that stone, you’re a magician.”

I stopped rolling it like a toy and placed it carefully on the table.

“No doubt about it, then.”

He took the stone back.

‘I’m a magician…’

I couldn’t understand it. All this time, I’d shown no sign of magical power. For example, the signs we discussed about Chaddy earlier—I had none of those.

I couldn’t claim to have a perfect personality, but I wasn’t eccentric or sensitive. Nor had I ever been possessive of people or objects… well, that last part was debatable.

I recalled my feelings for Kiril in the past. But could that be considered obsession or possessiveness?

It was because, according to the story’s setup, I liked him. That didn’t signal that I was a magician.

Moreover, I now understood how this world worked. It was a perfect tapestry, woven meticulously for Giselle. There was no space for me to interfere.

I was a minor supporting character of a minor supporting character. I would be used like a tool for Giselle’s story and discarded when the time came. There was no way I could possibly be a magician.

From knowing the original story, the magician was Giselle. Of course, Giselle was already registered as a royal magician, but more importantly, she was destined to become a royal magician in the future.

That was the highest honor for a magician and certified her as an immensely powerful individual.

Giselle had wielded great magical power since childhood. She had been registered as a royal magician at the age of six. Even now, it was almost certain she would become a royal magician.

Lost in thought, I remained silent until Chadwick nudged me back to reality.

“Then I look forward to working with you.”

He extended his hand. I hurriedly shook it, snapping out of my thoughts.

“Likewise.”

His hand was warmer than I expected. I thought it would feel cold and stiff.

I shook his hand for a while.

“…You can let go now.”

“Oh, yes!”

I had held it for far too long. I hurriedly released it, noticing his oddly serious expression.

I had come looking for an old friend, yet I left with only more questions.

After Saya left, Chadwick stared intently at a small stone in his palm.

“What are you doing with the Judgment Stone?”

“I have something to think about.”

He wasn’t lying. He didn’t strictly need Saya’s help to find Sylvia, yet he had asked her to assist.

‘That way, he can continue to see her in the future.’

Saya hadn’t looked for him for a long time. That meant that her time at the orphanage hadn’t held much meaning for her.

So if she cooperated in finding Sylvia, she might temporarily overlook Chaddy’s lie that he wanted to see her.

Moreover, I couldn’t allow Saya to leave and go somewhere again.

Surprisingly, Saya’s decision was quick.

That didn’t mean I knew her true feelings, though.

“How eccentric, really.”

Dahlia shook her head and tried to pass him, but Chadwick suddenly threw the Judgment Stone at her.

Dahlia jumped back, startled.

“Are you crazy?”

She scowled and took a deep breath to pick up the stone. It was small enough to hold in one hand, but she lifted it with both hands as if it were a boulder.

“Ugh! This won’t do. Pick it up yourself.”

“Right.”

I’d said he was eccentric, but lately it had gotten worse. Dahlia nearly got crushed by the stone and had to calm herself as she entered.

Chadwick walked up, holding the Judgment Stone in one hand. Even for him, it was heavy. He could lift it, but not manipulate it freely.

The stone feels lighter the more magical power the person lifting it possesses.

Recalling how Saya had tossed it like a toy, Chadwick’s expression grew even graver.

“Sylvia, what on earth have you done?”