“I see. Thanks. Oh, one more thing. Is there a magic that is incompatible with black magic, by any chance?”
“An incompatible magic…”
“A magic that makes black magic ineffective, just from a touch. An overpowering magic.”
“No, there is no such magic.”
“Really? So you’re saying there’s no such thing as white magic?”
“White magic… No, there is not.”
Yelena glanced down at her hands at the sound of Sidrion’s firm voice.
‘I guess it wasn’t magic.’
“Very well. I don’t have any more questions, so you can go now.”
“Understood. Ah, if, by any chance, there are any issues with the artifacts, please call me right away. Any time is good. Although there won’t be any issues.” Thanks to the last sentence, his words overflowed with confidence.
Yelena thought for a second, and then spoke. “Thanks to that, I just became curious about another thing.”
“Yes?”
“If I think about it, Black Tower Owner, you come right away at our beck and call.”
There was never a time that he rejected them because he was too busy.
Whenever they asked when he was free to do something for them, he would always say that he was available immediately.
Even now, he was telling Yelena that she could summon him about issues with the artifacts at any time.
She was suddenly suspicious.
“I wonder, when do you work?”
The Black Tower Sidrion oversaw was a fairly large organization. Surely, there was a lot of work to do on a daily basis.
Sidrion replied with a calm face.
“I don’t work.”
“What? Then who does?”
“The people under me.”
“…”
Yelena tried to remember if she knew any aspiring sorcerers.
‘I’ll have to tell them not to work at the Black Tower under any circumstances.’ This, she pledged.
***
Although various things happened during Sidrion’s visit, it ultimately played a big part in putting Yelena in a good mood.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
It was evening, dinnertime.
Yelena kept chuckling throughout the entire meal, which led Kaywhin to ask, “Did something good happen today?”
‘Ah.’
It was only then that Yelena realized her face muscles were relaxing too freely.
Ahem, Yelena cleared her throat. With pursed lips, she said, “Well, uhm, you know already. The Black Tower Owner stopped by today.”
“I heard that he gave you a heap of artifacts and left.”
“Yes, exactly that. I seem to be in a good mood because I received unexpected gifts.”
While it may have sounded like an excuse she came up with on the spot, it wasn’t completely a lie. Yelena really did feel like she had received unexpected gifts from Sidrion.
‘What a commendable fellow.’
However, the ‘gifts’ were not the artifacts.
‘Yes, even his best friend can tell that I am very important and special to my husband.’
Sidrion looked after Yelena’s safety for Kaywhin’s sake.
In other words, he acknowledged that Yelena had a big influence on Kaywhin.
‘If even his best friend sees it like that… Well, it must be true.’
Only at this moment did Yelena acknowledge Sidrion as her husband’s ‘best’ friend. She smiled happily.
Kaywhin briefly gazed at Yelena, who continuously failed to keep a straight face.
“…Ultimately, you are in a good mood because of Sidrion.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Kaywhin’s hands, which had been still, moved to slice the food on his plate.
But there was a problem.
He didn’t only slice his food. The plate was also sliced into two pieces.
“…?”
Yelena blinked, wondering if she was seeing things correctly.
Kaywhin also seemed flustered.
He sucked his teeth and looked down at the sliced plate. He said to Yelena, “…It was already cracked. The plate.”
“Ah, I see. Oh dear. Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“Thank God. Ella!” Yelena called the maid so that she could replace Kaywhin’s plate with a new one.
Kaywhin watched his broken plate get replaced with a pristine one and quietly covered his mouth.
And the next day.
“…What’s all this?”
Yelena encountered a mysterious mountain of artifacts.
Sidrion had given her a substantial amount of artifacts, but this seemed to be about three times that amount.
“These are from the castle’s storage, as well as new ones that Master purchased. They are all for Madam to use.”
“…But there’s so much.”
“You may choose as you please.”
The artifacts that filled her quarters were extravagant and shiny.
‘With just these, I can probably go out to war and survive,’ Yelena thought unconsciously.
It seemed quite plausible.
***
Rattle.
A splendid four-wheeled carriage, pulled by four horses, sped down the road at a rapid speed.
“Young Master.”
Inside the shaking carriage, a maid spoke to a young man sitting across from her.
“Is this really the best method?”