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Chapter 11
The Sleeping Prince of the Magic Tower Has Been Awakened?
“Perhaps it’s because I used my power for the first time in so long… I overdid it more than I expected.”
The black sand scattered across the floor felt utterly unreal.
He had thought that, after lying dormant for so long, it would take time before his body returned to normal.
“At least my power hasn’t weakened in the meantime. That’s a relief.”
The corners of Licht’s lips curled upward in satisfaction.
It was an exhilarating feeling, all the more so because he had been trapped for so long.
The sensation of drawing up his power in an instant and setting flames ablaze.
A scene that had existed only in his imagination had once again unfolded from his own hands.
This feeling…
It definitely wasn’t a dream.
Licht slowly opened and closed his hand.
Then, cautiously, his gaze drifted downward.
“Should I say something?”
His eyes fell upon the silver hair that had been thrown into disarray by the shockwave of the attack.
It was the mage.
The very mage who had chattered beside him every single day.
The woman whose appearance he had imagined hundreds of times was now resting in his arms.
“Silver hair.”
It wasn’t a common color in the Ludenza Empire.
Not completely unheard of, but certainly rare.
It suited her mysterious voice perfectly.
Licht’s lips parted.
“…”
No words came out.
Was it because this was the first time he had truly met the mage…
Met her?
An unfamiliar sense of nervousness made him hesitate.
Just as he was about to force himself to speak—
The mage in his arms moved first.
“……C-Cough!”
Or rather, she broke into a fit of coughing.
Perhaps she had been injured.
Or perhaps all the smoke had irritated her throat.
Licht hurriedly examined her complexion.
“Mage, are you alright?”
And then—
“Ah…”
Eyes the soft violet color of lavender petals turned toward him.
The mage looked up at him with an expression filled with unmistakable bewilderment.
At that moment…
Licht couldn’t say a single word.
He simply remained silent, staring into those violet eyes.
…What just happened?
I blinked several times.
Everything had happened so fast.
An Apostle had appeared.
I grabbed hold of His Highness’s glass coffin and desperately cast a defensive spell…
And then…
His Highness?
The sleeping prince had suddenly awakened…
…and instantly annihilated the Apostle.
No, seriously.
I never thought I’d actually witness a person turning into sand right before my eyes!
His Highness… is ridiculously strong.
“……C-Cough!”
The Apostle was gone.
Well…
Dead.
Even so, His Highness didn’t let go of me.
Of course, he was probably holding me to protect me…
But for someone like me, who had never even had physical contact with a man before, this position was unbelievably embarrassing.
“Mage, were you frightened?”
“Ah…”
Oh no.
At this rate he’s going to think I’m some idiot who can’t even speak.
I’ve been doing nothing but making vowel sounds this whole time!
Still, I cautiously glanced at the man staring at me from impossibly close range…
…and nearly lost my senses again.
Wow.
He’s seriously handsome.
I mean, sure.
Even while he was asleep I’d thought he looked less like a person and more like a perfectly sculpted statue.
But that had been nothing compared to this.
Now I finally understood.
The moving Prince…
The male lead, Licht, possessed exactly the blue eyes described in the novel.
To be precise…
They were the deep blue of the ocean, so profound they looked as though one could fall straight into them.
My gaze lowered slightly.
His sharp nose…
His beautifully defined jawline…
Everything formed flawless, elegant lines.
Couldn’t the author have described him in just a little more detail…?
His appearance was simply…
Lethal.
So this is why people say moving pictures hit differently? You really have to see him in motion!
And on top of that…
He was way too close.
Because Licht was holding me from behind, I could clearly feel the firmness of his muscles.
Unable to find the words to say anything, I remained silent.
His gaze settled on me once again.
I hurriedly lowered my head before my dazed expression became obvious.
“This is probably your first time seeing an Apostle disappear before your eyes. You seem quite shaken.”
Amazing.
Even his voice is incredible.
That wasn’t actually why I was shocked…
But since he’d misunderstood on his own, I wasn’t about to correct him.
Then again…
Watching someone crumble into dust right in front of you was pretty horrifying.
It’s just that the male lead’s face had been even more shocking.
“Y-Yes.”
I stole another glance at Licht.
As if he’d been waiting for it, his eyes met mine again.
What…?
Heat suddenly rushed to my face.
The novel had clearly described him as cold and emotionless.
Yet…
The eyes looking at me now were overflowing with warmth.
Heart.
Calm down! Calm down!
At this point I couldn’t even tell whether my heart was pounding from fear…
…or from embarrassment.
I wished he’d at least put a little distance between us.
But the male lead showed no sign of letting me go.
Nor did he look away.
It was almost as though he intended to memorize every detail of my face.
…Should I just faint?
When there isn’t a solution…
Running away is the answer.
Since I couldn’t physically escape, maybe I should at least close my eyes and pretend to pass out.
Just as I was about to put on the world’s worst acting performance—
Crackle!
A sound like distant lightning echoed through the room.
Instantly, a hall formed from concentrated mana appeared.
A moment later…
Two figures shot out from inside.
“Edel!!!!!!”
A voice screamed my name.
It was Melize.
Instinctively, I pushed Licht away and ran toward her.
It was a completely reflexive action.
I couldn’t let her see me like that.
Perhaps because she’d forced herself to teleport in such a hurry…
Her normally immaculate hair was completely disheveled.
“Melize!”
The moment she saw my face, Melize rushed over and pulled me tightly into her embrace.
She was much taller than I’d expected in person.
As a result, I disappeared into the folds of her cloak once again.
Seriously…
Why does everyone here keep hugging people?
It’s making my heart race…
There wasn’t even time to feel awkward.
Everything about her movements was filled with urgency.
Soon, her gentle touch and soothing voice enveloped me.
“Ah… you’re safe…”
“…”
“Thank goodness.”
“Thank the gods.”
Without realizing it, my eyes began to sting with tears.
Was it because I’d just stood at death’s door?
Well…
I really had almost died.
I think… this is the first time anyone has ever worried about me like this.
Not in my previous life.
Not in this one.
Never.
The affection she so openly showed me stirred the guilt buried deep inside my heart.
Yet at the same time…
For the first time…
I truly felt that I was Edel now.
Caught in that swirl of complicated emotions, I quietly bit my lip within Melize’s warm embrace.
Only after finding safety in her arms did my thoughts finally begin functioning properly again.
The attack happened before the Saint even appeared.
In the novel…
This incident had taken place only after Sepina awakened as the Saint.
She had even been on her way to the Magic Tower.
Why…?
Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?
The story’s flow had changed.
Perhaps what unsettled me most…
Was that one of the novel’s most important events had occurred so suddenly, in such a completely different way.
“To think they’d exploit that tiny opening.”
“Those despicable cowards.”
After holding me for quite some time, Melize glared at the ruined floor with an irritated expression.
“…Almost as if they already knew that opening would appear.”
No matter where she was within the Empire…
Melize constantly maintained a barrier powerful enough to withstand any attack.
Yet during this assault…
That barrier had collapsed far too quickly.
She casually raised a hand and released her mana into the surrounding space.
It was a spell meant to inspect the lingering traces left behind.
“I knew it.”
“Someone tampered with it.”
Melize frowned deeply.
As though she’d discovered something thoroughly unpleasant.
“Once we filter out the mana…”
“It won’t take long to find out who did this.”
She tilted her head slightly.
One of her closest attendants, who had been quietly waiting at a respectful distance, stepped forward.
It was Ruden.
Whenever Melize appeared in public, he served as the senior mage who remained closest to her side.
He hadn’t interacted much with Edel.
Even before she joined the Magic Tower, however, he had already been Melize’s most trusted subordinate.
“Ruden.”
“Yes, Lady Melize.”
“Find that rat.”
“Before today is over.”
“Understood.”
Ruden bowed his head.
Then immediately left the top floor.
Watching the tense silence settle over the room, I suddenly remembered the one thing I absolutely had to tell Melize.
The male lead.
Who was currently standing beside me radiating protagonist-level brilliance.
“It’s been a long time, Duke.”
“Your Highness.”
Licht greeted her first.
Calling it a greeting might have been generous.
It was remarkably brief.
For some reason…
His expression looked faintly sullen.
It wasn’t the face of someone who had just been freed from a long curse.
Is remaining calm in every situation just a requirement for male leads…?
His eyes briefly drifted toward me…
Before returning to Melize.
What was that?
It looked like he wanted to say something.
After their short, restrained exchange…
Master and disciple immediately turned to the task at hand.
Examining Licht’s condition.
Two years.
The novel had glossed over it as though it were a very short time.
But in reality…
It was a long one.
No matter how extraordinary his physical abilities and magical power were…
There was no guarantee that his body had suffered no ill effects.
Melize’s fingertips began glowing with soft light as she reached toward Licht.
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
