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Chapter 15
“Mikael, watch your mouth.”
“Why should I?”
“Don’t you know? The Tower Master might hear you.”
“……”
At Hilbenzia’s words, Mikael shut his mouth immediately, but somehow Hilbenzia felt even more uneasy.
“If he wants to listen, then let him.”
No—perhaps she had been forcing herself to ignore it all this time.
If there had been any kind of positive signal from Diamid, Mikael would have shown it already.
“Hilbenzia.”
Hilbenzia flinched. Mikael had never once called her by name before.
“That girl’s father doesn’t care what happens to her.”
“…What?”
“That man—no, he’s not even a man. I’ve never once seen the Tower Master do anything remotely human.”
“Are you saying the Tower Master actually said that?”
“If I’d kept running my mouth just a little more back then, I wouldn’t even be standing here now.”
Mikael’s blue eyes sank, growing deeper.
There was a calm, chilling atmosphere about him that Hilbenzia had never seen before.
“But… even so, we can’t just leave it be. That bastard will try to hurt Jaina again.”
“Leave that to me.”
Hilbenzia spoke firmly.
“From the beginning, dealing with those who cause trouble is my responsibility.”
“Moben.”
“Ugh!”
Moben spun around in shock, almost convulsing, and saw a fellow mage staring at him with a startled expression.
“W-what the hell, Moben? I called you so many times. Do you know how many times I called you?”
“I… wasn’t feeling well. What is it?”
“I said I’m heading back to the dorm first. You’re really not yourself today.”
Moben had to admit it. He wasn’t himself—mentally or physically.
His entire body still ached from being struck by Jaina’s tail.
He thought everything would be solved once they captured the dragon.
But things hadn’t gone according to plan.
No—worse. The situation had spiraled even further out of control.
To think I’d get hit by a dragon’s tail… I thought as long as I tied down her arms and legs, everything would be fine…
It wasn’t even a mistake—it was behavior beyond common sense itself.
Damn it, what do I do now?
His heart pounded, the thudding echo rattling his head. He cursed under his breath, trying to feign bravado, but the anxiety refused to settle.
No… it’ll be fine. Nothing will happen.
Didn’t Mikael himself say it?
Jaina wasn’t officially a member of the Tower.
This would blow over.
It had to blow over…
Only a handful saw me collapse beside her. Just the first witness, maybe one or two others.
Unless the Tower Master got involved, it would all fade after a bit of gossip.
There was no concrete evidence he had tried to kidnap Jaina.
All anyone saw was him lying next to her.
Even if Jaina spoke out about what he tried to do, people would just shrug, saying it was a child exaggerating.
Yeah… don’t overthink it…
He repeated this to himself over and over, soothing his nerves. And for a brief moment, peace returned.
That’s when it happened.
“Moben Claf. That’s you, isn’t it?”
A chilling whisper brushed past his ear.
Shhh!
A bundle of tree trunks surged upward, coiling tightly around his body. The branches constricted, crushing down until the flesh bulged grotesquely between them.
Moben flailed like a fish out of water.
“Ghhhaaack!”
Even through the pain, he tried to draw on his mana.
He was a mage of the Tower—caught off guard or not, if he just regained his focus, he could break free in no time.
In no time, he cou—
Wh-what…!
He tried to scream, but the branches pried into his mouth. Their dark energy seemed to writhe straight into his insides.
Thrashing wildly, Moben’s eyes caught sight of someone.
Huh…?
His body froze.
It was a figure who shouldn’t be there.
Hilbenzia of Verdure…?
Wearing a rich dress with a short hood draped like a cape, she stood holding a vial in her hand.
Moben wanted to deny what he was seeing.
To insist it was a dream, a foul nightmare.
But the silver hair swaying gently, the curled locks—those were real.
“You seemed to have prepared quite thoroughly, yet you still got caught by me. What a shame.”
She looked around, speaking in a lilting, cheerful voice, occasionally nodding her head.
“You even knew that, though Jaina looks like a child, she’s a dragon and thus heavy. You prepared so well. And yet…”
Hilbenzia’s eyes curved into a bright, smiling crescent.
“Sorry, but the sister who came to catch you is just that much better, hm?”
How had she known he was after the dragon? Why would Hilbenzia even come here—a place an alchemist wouldn’t normally concern herself with?
Mikael had said no one would care even if Jaina were touched—that there would be no repercussions.
So why…?
She wasn’t even recognized as the Tower Master’s daughter! If she’s not part of the Tower, then what’s the problem with touching her?!
But the sight before him proved him wrong.
Despair swallowed Moben whole.
“You’re just unlucky, Moben.”
The pressure crushed his innards. His consciousness faded.
Hilbenzia dragged Moben into a hidden underground chamber beneath the Tower.
In one prison cell, a labyrinthine cage, Moben hung in tatters.
His body was wrecked, flayed to rags. Even though she had healed him of some aftereffects, Hilbenzia had continued her torture.
“Ughhh… Please… let me go…!”
Hilbenzia chuckled, shrugging her shoulders.
“Hehe, I’ve starved you for a week and kept you from sleeping. You must be at your limit. But this still isn’t enough.”
“P-please…”
“Letting you live quietly like this is far too irritating.”
Her smile bloomed brightly. Moben’s body trembled uncontrollably. Regret and terror consumed him.
If he had known this would happen, he would never have touched Jaina.
—She’s the Tower Master’s daughter, but unacknowledged. Who would protect you?
—If you disappeared one day, I couldn’t even officially search for you.
He had believed those words, and decided to use her as an experimental subject for the Tower’s tests.
And this was the result.
Tears of bitter regret rolled down his face as he writhed.
“I never meant to harm or kill Jaina! I only wanted… just a little help…”
“You wanted a little help from Jaina? Then maybe I’ll take a little help from you, Moben.”
At that, Moben thrashed desperately, struggling to escape his bonds. Hilbenzia only laughed harder.
“If you intended to use someone as a test subject, shouldn’t you have been prepared to become one yourself?”
Her voice dropped cold.
“Now, you’ll become the same.”
Hilbenzia pulled a vial from her robes. Inside slithered a serpent-like shape, exhaling pitch-black smoke.
She opened the lid. The ominous creature squirmed out, crawling up Moben’s body.
“Now then, Moben. Why don’t you and I have some fun together?”
Hilbenzia’s eyes curved sweetly as she watched Moben cry.
Everything was hazy.
Her feelings, the world around her—it all felt blurred.
Something painful had swept through her, and she must have blacked out trying to endure it…
What happened again?
Ah, yes—it was the usual.
People trying to use her.
Despising her for her birth.
Looking at her with cruel, inexplicable eyes.
Yes… nothing new.
Jaina tried to open her eyes, to push away the heavy darkness pressing down on her.
But her strength kept failing.
No matter how she struggled, she felt herself dragged deeper into the dark.
“When will Jaina wake up?”
“She still hasn’t opened her eyes…”
Then—voices she recognized.
Jaina forced her heavy eyes open, and met the gaze of two people staring down at her. Surprise and relief shone in their eyes.
“Jaina?”
“Kiddo!”
She tried to answer, but her throat was too dry to make a sound.
She coughed hoarsely, and both of them stopped her.
“Don’t start babbling the moment you wake up. Shut your mouth.”
“Just lie still. You’ve been asleep for a long time. Don’t push yourself.”
Jaina rolled her eyes, looking around. Everything was white.
Completely different from her dark, gloomy room.
“What happened while I was out?”
“……”
“Why am I here?”
She touched her forehead with her small hand.
Some memories flickered faintly, dreamlike. Some images pressed vividly, as if they were reality.
Freshly awakened, the line between dream and reality blurred.
She asked to learn the truth, but Mikael and Hilbenzia dodged, saying something else.
“You know, you talked in your sleep pretty badly.”
“Me?”
“Something about wanting tarts, or how tender veal just melts in your mouth…”
Mikael snickered. Jaina blinked blankly.
Did I really talk in my sleep?
Once, she had been kicked awake by her cousin Taylor, who said he thought she was dead because she never made a sound in her sleep.
She had assumed she didn’t talk in her sleep. Had that changed now?
Always sleeping alone, she wouldn’t have known.
She pondered seriously—until Mikael smirked.
“Just kidding. Why take it so seriously?”
“Oh… it was a joke?”
“To flail around just because of a few words—how stupid can you be?”
“Mm…”
She hadn’t exactly flailed around, but…
Just as she was thinking that, a strange sense of unease crept in.
