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“Hehe.”  

I couldn’t stop smiling, feeling an inexplicable sense of joy. It was strange how something as simple as comfortably calling my father “Father” could make me so happy. The memory of the Duke—no, my father—looking a bit dazed when I had cheerfully shouted, “I’m home, Father!” only added to my excitement.

As I hummed to myself, nearly on the verge of bursting into song, Axel gave me a look as if he were examining a person who had lost their mind.

“Did something go wrong with your head after you came back from the dead?”

He didn’t seem to be joking; his concern appeared genuine.

‘He really knows how to ruin a mood,’ I thought, letting out a deep sigh as I glanced at him with cold eyes.

“You were so cute when you were hugging me and crying,” I remarked, teasingly.

Axel raised an eyebrow, his expression showing clear displeasure. Bael, on the other hand, looked at the two of us with interest, as if wondering if what I said was true.

Axel quickly jumped in to defend himself. “What are you talking about? I didn’t cry.”

“Come on, I could tell. You were crying in your heart, if not with your eyes,” I said, tapping my chest with my right hand in a playful manner.

I expected another quick retort, but instead, Axel just clamped his mouth shut and stared at me. I blinked in surprise, not sure how to interpret his reaction. Then Axel let out a small scoff and leaned back against the sofa.

“You’re quick on the uptake.”

“?”

I rolled my eyes in confusion. Was he actually admitting that he had, indeed, cried in his heart? I considered pressing him further, but Axel swiftly changed the subject before I could.

However, what he said next caught me off guard, making me forget about the previous topic entirely.

“I’m thinking of teaching that kid magic.”

“That kid? Magic?”

“Yeah, Eugene Kreutz. I’m considering sharing some of my magic with him and taking him on as my apprentice.”

“Suddenly?”

Axel was a powerful mage, known not only for his heroism in slaying the Mad Dragon but also for his position as the master of the Tower of Magic. Many people had lined up, hoping to be taken on as his apprentice. Among them were individuals hailed as prodigies from a young age, as well as those who had self-taught themselves in magic. 

These were talented people, worthy of being taught, but Axel had turned them all down. He simply had no intention of taking on an apprentice. This was in stark contrast to the tradition among White Mages, who often gathered in groups and passed down their knowledge to further their craft. The Tower of Magic itself had been established because White Mages valued the transmission of knowledge so highly.

I had heard that many people were frustrated by Axel’s refusal to take on an apprentice, especially since he was the master of the Tower. And now, out of the blue, he was saying he wanted to take Eugene as his apprentice? My eyes widened in surprise.

But it seemed I was the only one taken aback. Bael, already aware of Axel’s plans, listened calmly, as if they had discussed this before.

“Do you remember the conversation Bael had with you before you passed out?”

“I remember.”

When I pieced together what I had heard back then, it went something like this: Bael had mentioned that the problem with Eugene’s body was that it was excessively pure. Just as the world isn’t composed solely of pure entities, humans are also made up of various elements, some of which aren’t pure. While these “impure” elements might seem like something negative that should be cleansed, the human body is mysterious in that removing all the negative aspects isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Humans exist by maintaining a balance and harmony between positive and negative elements. In Eugene’s case, his body being excessively pure meant that this balance had been disrupted. How he managed to survive in such a state was unclear, but when I had poured my divine power into him in an unusual way, it severed the last thread of that delicate balance.

“If you remember that discussion, this should be easy to explain. I’m thinking of using my magic to restore balance to his body,” Axel continued.

“That makes sense. Magic, being a natural force, contains some negative energy, so it could help re-establish the lost balance…”

If Axel infused Eugene with his magic, it might help stabilize the disrupted equilibrium in his body. Realizing that I understood his plan, Axel didn’t stop there; he kept explaining.

“It’s a temporary measure, but if he starts learning magic from me and begins accumulating his own magic power, he could escape that ‘excessively pure’ state.”

It was an incredible idea—one I hadn’t expected. The fact that this plan came from Axel made me feel a mix of admiration and jealousy. After all, I still considered Axel my rival.

Seeing the complex emotions reflected in my gaze, Axel tilted his chin up in a slightly arrogant manner.

“You can praise me if you want.”

“Do you think I will?” I replied, pouting slightly.

“You said that kid could die for all you care. But I’ll give you credit for thinking it through,” I said, offering a backhanded compliment with a hint of sarcasm.

Axel let out a small scoff. “That kid dying wouldn’t matter. But you risked your life to save him. I just didn’t want to see your efforts go to waste.”

“Uh…”

I momentarily forgot my jealousy towards Axel and stared at him, my mouth hanging open. The idea that he had put so much thought into finding a solution just because he didn’t want my efforts to be in vain… 

‘This is… truly touching…!’

“But it has to be me who nullifies your efforts, not someone else. So stay alive until I get the chance to do it. Got it?”

“…”

Where did my sense of being touched go? Come back. The flood of emotion that had risen to my throat deflated in an instant.

‘Sigh. I wish I could just be genuinely moved, just once.’

Bael chuckled softly as he watched me deflate.

“Axel is just being shy. He really does care about you, Reshi.”

“If he’s shy twice, it’ll be a disaster.”

I let out a deep sigh and said to Axel, “Taking Eugene as your apprentice seems like a good idea in many ways. Especially since it seems our ‘enemies’ are planning to use him.”

Axel quickly grew serious again and nodded. “An excessively pure body, the ritual he underwent, and the talk about the ‘vessel’ by the man who looked like Hazen—it’s definitely suspicious.”

“Right. So, Bael,”  

If our suspicions were correct, there was something important we needed to confirm with him.  

“How much do you know about the Regennetasia Order?”  

“The Regennetasia Order? I’m quite familiar with it, but why do you ask about them all of a sudden?”  

“Well, it seems that the former emperor is staying at one of their monasteries. And if you consider that the unsettling movements among the clergy in the Central Church are related to him, the pieces start to fit together.”

“The former emperor, huh?”  

Axel, looking as if the mere thought gave him a headache, rubbed his temple.  

“Kirke became emperor by slaying the Mad Dragon. In other words, the death of that dragon provided such a powerful justification that it made him emperor almost instantly.”

“Indeed. But if that ‘justification’ were to be called into question, could the former emperor regain power?” Bael asked, his tone growing more serious.  

Axel’s brows knit together in a deep frown.  

“There are still nobles who long for the former emperor, even with that justification firmly in place. If that were to be undermined, it would be even worse.”  

After Axel’s remark, the three of us fell into a heavy silence. The idea that the justification for Kirke’s ascent to the throne might crumble was unsettling. It brought back the doubts I had at the very end of my past life.

“…What if the Mad Dragon wasn’t truly dead?” I suggested, my voice barely above a whisper.

At my words, Bael and Axel both clenched their fists tightly. The Mad Dragon’s defeat had been an achievement our entire expedition had poured everything into. We didn’t care much about the fame it brought, but the fact that our friend became emperor because of it was something we all took pride in. But now, the possibility that this might all unravel…

As we each wrestled with our own complicated thoughts in the oppressive silence, a sudden interruption shattered the tension.

“My lady! Master!”  

Lily, pale as a ghost, burst through the door without waiting for permission. For a servant, especially one as experienced as Lily, entering without the master’s consent was unthinkable. Whatever had happened must have been alarming enough to throw her completely off balance. And since she was looking for both me and Axel at the same time, it meant the situation was anything but ordinary.

“Lily? What’s going on?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.  

“It’s… strange people have gathered outside, demanding to take you away… something about a murderer…,” Lily stammered, her words jumbled in panic.

“What on earth are you talking about?” Axel frowned in confusion, but I immediately had a sinking suspicion.

‘I did use black magic when I escaped from the coffin.’  

And not just a small amount, but a large and powerful force.

I was still under the shadow of my past life’s accusations. Greslin, the black mage, was still regarded as a vile murderer, and the hunters who pursued her were still active. They must have detected my magic and tracked it to me.