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~Chapter 37~
“But… who are you?”
Ciella, flustered, asked the question. Edell froze up, still holding her in his arms. Thankfully, his face was hidden by the mask.
“You’re mistaken.”
Edell quickly set her down on the floor.
Ciella, now standing, looked him up and down. Edell quietly stared back. He’d always looked up at her as a child, but now, seeing her from above, it felt different.
From a man’s viewpoint, Ciella looked so small and fragile—like she could fit right into his arms. Her tiny face, with those big eyes, blinked up at him.
He thought she was beautiful, even from above.
Edell, who was always getting hugged by Ciella, suddenly felt the urge to pull her into his arms.
“Ah… I see, I misunderstood.”
Ciella scratched the back of her head and smiled a little.
Edell, afraid she might see what he was thinking, quickly turned his head away.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
He asked stiffly, still looking away.
“I’m fine.”
As Ciella hesitated and tried to step away—
“Hey, who’s there?”
Hearing someone’s voice in the distance, Edell quickly pulled Ciella close and covered her mouth. Ciella started squirming in surprise. Like a real villain, Edell realized he was pinning her against the wall, holding her hostage.
There was nothing he could do now. Edell pressed her even closer and whispered lazily,
“Shh, stay still.”
“If I don’t stay still, what are you going to do…?”
Ciella mumbled defiantly with her mouth covered.
“Well, then I’ll just have to make you stay still.”
In the end, she couldn’t escape from the villain’s grasp.
My plan was for Dousik and Kkami to make trouble while I found the room making the noise and caught the culprit.
But suddenly, a man with platinum hair and a mask appeared and trapped me so I couldn’t move.
“Lady, if someone sees us together at this hour, wouldn’t they get suspicious?”
The mysterious man was holding me and covering my mouth, pretending to care about my reputation.
Anyone would think this was a dangerous situation, one where I needed help!
He whispered in a low voice, mixing his breath with his words.
“I really am a bad person, but please don’t be too scared.”
“Mmm! Mmm!”
Who would trust someone who calls themselves a bad guy! I struggled even harder.
This is kidnapping! I’m being kidnapped!
His violet eyes behind the mask reminded me of someone I knew, but his hair color was different. I couldn’t trust someone whose identity I wasn’t sure about!
The masked man smiled with his eyes as if to reassure me.
“I won’t do anything bad to you.”
Just then, voices could be heard in the hallway beyond where we were hiding.
“How can he give such reckless orders? Does he even think about the consequences?”
“Don’t worry, everyone here is talented, no one will get hurt.”
What? Talented? Getting hurt?
The platinum-haired, masked man also listened quietly to their conversation.
“But there are other nobles and their children staying here…”
“It won’t reach them. Just keep it under control. Let’s go downstairs.”
What are they planning? I suddenly felt uneasy. I looked up at the man holding me.
Maybe he’s with those people too? Now I really couldn’t trust him.
He saw my suspicious eyes and whispered into my ear,
“I think… we’re about to witness a crime scene.”
“Mmm mmm.”
“Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with you.”
“Mmm?”
“I can’t tell you who I am, but please trust me.”
How does he understand everything I’m saying?
The mystery man, still covering my mouth, leaned out to check the situation.
“Looks like they’re about to set your room on fire.”
“Mmm?”
“I’ll try to stop it, so don’t scream. It’ll only make things worse.”
Suddenly, there was a commotion among the group.
“Hey, be careful!”
“Ahh! Who spilled alcohol on the floor…?!”
Bang!
There was the sound of something exploding. I peeked out in shock.
“Too bad.”
The masked man scratched his head awkwardly.
“They dropped the fire starter. Looks like the floor was covered with alcohol.”
“W-what…”
Suddenly, a wave of heat brushed my cheek.
The dark hallway turned bright as flames shot up. That blue fire was “Sarah’s Fire,” a kind that doesn’t go out until it burns everything—often sold in black markets.
If it reached my room, the whole place could go up in flames. And here, there were other nobles and Edell’s friends staying!
“I’ll take you somewhere safe.”
He picked me up in his arms. I grabbed his neck and yelled,
“You’re with them, aren’t you? You pretended to be on my side just to set the fire!”
“I told you, I’m not.”
“Let me go! I’m a spiritist too!”
If things kept going, kids who hadn’t even awakened their powers yet would be trapped in their rooms.
When there’s a fire, the heat warps the doors so they won’t open. Sarah’s Fire makes toxic smoke, which is especially dangerous for children.
The man gently put me down as I kept struggling.
“That room, where Edell’s friends are—cough cough!”
I remembered the faces of the kids who smiled so brightly at Edell. They were probably his first friends since his villain days.
The man stared at the burning hallway, then handed me a wet handkerchief.
“Cover your mouth. The smoke is toxic.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
But what did he wet it with? It smelled like the sweet juice Edell likes… But there was no time to think about that.
“Dousik! Kkami!”
At my call, Dousik and Kkami appeared, staring at the spreading flames.
“Help me.”
I coughed, looking at my two spirits.
“Help me save the people, save the children.”
Could we do it? I felt powerless, and tears stung my eyes.
I knew this was reckless.
That’s how I died in my last life, too.
“But adults should do what adults have to do!”
Even so, I jumped into the burning hallway.
Just like in my previous life, when I ran out to save a child in front of a speeding truck.
Edell looked up in surprise. Ciella, who’d been in his arms, suddenly turned into flames and disappeared.
“Ciella.”
Where did she go? No matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find her. Edell sent out a shadow in the shape of a bird. The shadow-bird flapped and flew into the flames.
“So reckless.”
She can’t even use spirit magic properly.
Edell bit his lip and rushed into the fire after her.
He pushed through the blue flames in the hallway, when the shadow-bird he’d sent to find Ciella returned.
“All clear, all clear.”
The shadow-bird spun around, reporting on Ciella’s condition. She was fine, even inside Sarah’s Fire?
“’s incarnation! ’s incarnation!”
The bird started chanting in a strange language—then burst into flames and turned to ash.
“A taboo…?”
The shadow had vanished for saying a forbidden name. Since Edell asked for Ciella’s current state, the taboo must be related to her.
“Ciella has a taboo on her.”
He paused, thinking deeply.
“Waaaah!”
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice crying somewhere. It was the voice of a child he’d played with, now trapped behind a burning door.
Edell stared at the door, remembering the kids’ happy faces and chattering voices.
“That older boy is so mean, talking about you like that.”
“I’ll send you a messenger bird tomorrow! We’re friends, right?!”
Just little kids…
Edell let out a hollow laugh, then glared at the wild blue flames.
These flames were nothing like normal Sarah’s Fire. Something had made them several times stronger—maybe even high-level mage magic. It would take a lot of power to put it out.
But if he used too much, he might get noticed by a top-class detection mage.
“If you use your power for good, it’s a good ability. Be a good adult who saves people with it.”
That was what Ciella always wanted: to be a good adult.
Remembering her words, Edell released just enough power to endure the heat and toxic smoke. His shirt was starting to burn at the shoulder as he suppressed his magic as much as possible.
Bang!
The crying child inside the room watched as the door was suddenly torn apart, as if by sharp claws.
A black shadow wrapped protectively around the child.
“No, I’m scared!”
Seeing Edell in his masked, grown-up form, the child started to cry harder. The shadow holding the child sprouted two white, almond-shaped eyes and looked awkwardly at Edell.
Edell sighed deeply and snapped his fingers.
“It’s me.”
The child’s eyes went wide as Edell shifted into his child form.
“Edell!”
“It’s okay. Let’s go. I’ll take you somewhere safe.”
Edell smiled softly, holding the child’s hand.
“Forget that I saved you.”
Edell placed his shadowy hand on the child’s forehead.
“You’ll forget we were friends, too.”
In the flickering blue flames, Edell’s purple eyes grew sad.
