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Chapter 16
He had chosen simple clothes so as not to draw attention, but his tall height, broad shoulders, lean yet solidly muscular build, and strikingly handsome appearance made people’s gazes gather on him almost immediately.
Black hair was not rare in Prahenfelt, but people with golden eyes were extremely uncommon. Even when they did exist, they were usually paired with light brown hair, so the combination of black hair and golden eyes was especially unusual.
However, his facial features were so perfect that people who looked at him could not immediately focus on how strange his eye color was.
Deep eyes that shone with rich golden light, cold and sharp eye lines, a tall and straight handsome nose, lips that gave off an intimidating aura, and a beautifully sculpted jawline that looked as though it had been drawn by an artist.
He gave the impression of a wild beast, yet at the same time looked noble. No matter how one looked at him, he was not a face that could be easily seen in a marketplace.
As they stole glances at him—like a sculpture carefully crafted by a god—young women passing by whispered among themselves.
“Wow, I’ve never seen such a perfect handsome man, from face to body. He’s elegant, but he’s also… sexy.”
“Me too. I can’t close my mouth. Do you want to go talk to him?”
“N-no! He feels way too untouchable. I’m already satisfied just looking at him from afar. It’s like taking medicine with my eyes. Wow… Is it because of that medicine? I suddenly feel so full of energy! Hehehe.”
“Oh please, you always get ridiculous when you see a handsome man! Heeheehee…”
Because Kaisertern had extremely sharp hearing, all of their whispers reached his ears. But these were words he heard whenever he went out into the streets, so he brushed them off and focused instead on observing the capital’s streets, where the festival was in full swing.
‘This year’s festival seems more lively than last year. Public security looks fine too…’
Although security personnel were stationed throughout the area on patrol, he also looked toward the darker alleys, checking for anything suspicious.
That was when something strange caught his eye. In the corner of an alley, someone was crouching while wearing a black robe pulled low over their head. The person inside the robe looked small and was touching the body of a dirty-looking stray dog. Then, in the next moment, a light like golden powder softly spread out and wrapped around the dog’s wounds.
‘A mage, perhaps.’
To Kaisertern, who possessed overwhelming magical power, it was not a particularly impressive level of magic. He was about to turn away when a scene from an old memory suddenly struck his mind.
‘…!!’
It seemed the treatment was finished. After gently patting the dog, the mage stood up. Kaisertern hurried over and grabbed the mage’s wrist.
Startled, the mage turned around, and their eyes met. In the next moment, both of their eyes widened at the same time.
Roabellin, who had been sightseeing around the city of Visentium while wearing a robe, noticed a stray dog limping. Not only its leg, but its whole body seemed to be covered in wounds.
Thinking of the puppy she had once raised at the ducal estate when she was young, she could not bring herself to ignore the injured dog.
“Hello, shall we say hi…?”
She spoke softly and held out her hand. The stray dog quickly opened its heart to her and came closer. Roabellin crouched down and carefully petted the dog as it sat obediently in front of her.
“Good, thank you for staying still like this. I’ll make it stop hurting now. Just a moment…”
After checking that no one was watching, Roabellin gently placed her hand over the dog’s wounds and used her healing divine power. She could only use a very small portion of the power within her, but it was more than enough to heal such minor injuries.
Soon, all the wounds on the dog’s body closed up. Roabellin beamed with satisfaction.
“There, it’s all done.”
She patted the dog, which wagged its tail at her, and stood up with a refreshed feeling. Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist tightly from behind.
Too shocked to even scream, Roabellin turned to see the person’s face and was surprised again.
‘What? It’s that handsome man from the magic tool shop?! There’s no way he recognized me… right?’
She was startled to recognize him, but then remembered that she looked different from back then and felt a little relieved.
However, his eyes were violently shaking as he looked at her. Though he was staring at her face, it was as if he was seeing something beyond it, and he stood there blankly holding her wrist.
‘Why is he looking at me like that? There’s no way anyone in this city knows my face… probably… no one does?’
The man who had suddenly appeared did not seem to have any intention of attacking her, but she could not help feeling scared.
She wanted to pull her wrist away. But the man, looking completely dazed, held her wrist with a strong grip and did not let go. Her wrist began to ache, but she did not have the courage to get angry, so she spoke carefully.
“Ah… it hurts. Who are you, and why…?”
Roabellin barely managed to say.
“Ah.”
He seemed not to have even realized he was gripping her wrist tightly, and immediately let go, though his gaze remained fixed on her face.
Roabellin frowned slightly and rubbed her aching wrist with her other hand.
“Ow… it’s going to bruise.”
“Ah, does it hurt? I’m sorry.”
He spoke down to her naturally, even though he had just met her. It was simply a lifelong habit.
“More than that… you scared the puppy away. I didn’t even get to say goodbye properly.”
Roabellin said sulkily while holding her wrist.
‘Ah, right. That dog.’
Kaisertern recalled what he had just seen.
“What was that earlier?”
He asked bluntly, cutting straight to the point.
‘Did he see me healing it?!’
Roabellin flinched, but quickly controlled her expression and played dumb.
“What do you mean? The stray puppy?”
But Kaisertern was not careless enough to be fooled by that.
“No, that golden light. The one that came out of your hand. What was it?”
‘Gasp. He saw it clearly. I thought no one was around, but of all people…’
Her eyes darted around in panic, but she decided to keep pretending. After all, he had no proof.
“What? Light? Nothing came out. I was just petting the puppy… Maybe the sunlight was too bright and you saw it wrong?”
After hearing her answer, Kaisertern’s expression subtly changed as he thought for a moment. Then he spoke with a brighter face and a somewhat kinder tone.
“Ah, maybe it was heat haze from the sunlight. Perhaps I really did see it wrong. You sound like a foreigner. To apologize for my rudeness, may I show you around the festival?”
Normally, such a sudden change in attitude would be suspicious. But—
‘Honestly, I kind of want to look at such a handsome man a little longer. Just for today…?’
Carried away by the festival atmosphere, Roabellin let down her guard and accepted his offer without much thought.
“Uh, okay then. But I don’t have any money. You shouldn’t expect anything in return just because you’re guiding me.”
She quickly added a condition. She had given all the money she had with her yesterday to a child she met on the street, so she really did not have much left.
‘Will I even be able to last until the day I enter the palace…? It’s cutting it close.’
Worried that her expression might betray her, she quickly turned away as if to lead the way.
“Of course. I offered because I was sorry. I’ll pay for everything today, so don’t worry and just enjoy the festival.”
At his extremely stiff way of speaking, Roabellin, who was walking ahead, unconsciously stopped and turned around with a serious face.
‘Wow, that way of talking… Well, it’s only for today anyway. Let’s just enjoy it today!’
Though his tone was completely commanding, the content was welcome, so she decided not to argue. And when he smiled slightly, he was dazzlingly handsome.
“Alright! I’m excited!”
Her mood lifted again, and Roabellin flashed him a bright smile before turning back around. She did not notice Kaisertern’s heart thump heavily at the sight of her radiant smile.
The two walked along the crowded streets.
Since it was a festival for lovers, the market sold many couple items such as accessories and clothes. There were also many shops displaying illustrated books of lovers in erotic poses. Events for couples were being held, as well as events for young people who wanted to become couples.
With tourists and lovers filling the city, the inns had long been fully booked. The entire city was dyed in pink and red. Even someone who came without any expectations would feel their heart flutter on a day like this, as though something romantic might happen.
Roabellin, who had been looking around with wide eyes at the festival street, spoke.
“Wow… there are really so many people.”
Kaisertern asked lightly, as if it were nothing special.
“Is this your first time at the Visent Festival?”
“Yes.”
“You said you’re a foreigner. Which country are you from?”
“…Avery.”
Worried that he might ask more about her, Roabellin quickly changed the subject.
“Ah, um, are you from Visentium, sir?”
“That’s right.”
“Then, um, what is your name?”
There was a brief delay before his answer.
“…Kai.”
“Ah, Kai…”
She repeated the name awkwardly. In truth, among the memories she had lost after falling ill for several days following the annihilation of her family was also the single night she had spent with Kaisertern in the cabin.
Kaisertern silently watched her reaction and then asked,
“What is your name?”
