CH 36

“Just what are you thinking?”

Lia, who had come early in the morning without a word, raised her voice.

As if he didn’t understand the Korean Language, Verndia tilted his head sitting across from her.

“Are you going to use that child?”

“Use?”

“Don’t play innocent. You know everything!”

Lia unleashed her appearance-changing magic when she wanted the mana in the atmosphere to shake wildly.

She meant that she would fight against him if that was his plan.

Verndia still did not uncross his legs.

“Sit down.”

“Start talking.”

“I told you to sit down.”

“… ”

“Ilia.”

“Don’t call me by that name.”

“Then why do you care about the princess?”

Despite the question that seemed to have slapped her in the face, Lia only stared at him, unmoving.

With her elegance that didn’t fit her mood, Verndia picked up the teacup.

“I do not intend to use her.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Then why did you bring her here?”

“If that was my motive, I would have told her to stop taking the medicine from the very start.”

Verndia stared at the medicine bag, which Lia had thrown haphazardly on the glass table.

“Don’t worry. Because I can’t even use her.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s too attractive, it’s dangerous.”

Verndia smiled brightly.

Although it wasn’t only for a few times that he felt Psychke’s power, each time he had to suppress his desire to take her by force.

(TN: Just take her by force and give us some details *blush, blush*

It was similar to a person who starved for a week and put up with food in front of them.

“Honestly, it’s a little annoying. I don’t know if she hasn’t felt it, but there’s nothing I can do.”

“Then don’t take her with you, let her go.”

“Do you know what will happen to the princess if I let her go?”

Verndia described the ill-treatment and attempted confinement he had seen in Silkisia.

He tried to tell the truth, that Psychke continued to faint all over again, and he also talked about not remembering the conversation they had before after she woke up.

“She won’t be beaten in Silkisia just because of the petty reason of being here. The Princess is a strong person. But—”

“Why?”

“……?”

“Why are you trying to help her?”

Lia asked, sitting on the sofa after collecting the mana around.

“What do you have to do with her? Compassion? Sadness? That must have been not the case.”

“Let’s just say I want to crush that Silkisia.”

“… ”

“Actually, I don’t know.”

Verndia clasped his lips. Every time he looked at her, a certain emotion of his reverberated, yet it was indescribable.

To put it bluntly, it’s like watching a tree full of scars trapped in a storm…

It’s similar to the feeling of being sad, but there’s something different about it. He wanted to keep watching her and wanted to hug her. She is someone he wants to protect.

Verndia, who was looking back at his feelings, opened his mouth. He said something that was similar to the answer that he found in himself but not the correct answer itself.

“I seem to have projected my childhood seeing the Princess. It was very difficult for me back then.”

“…. That.”

“There was no other way for me, but the princess had another way.”

He wanted to finish the topic, so he ended it.

As if she was convinced, Lia clenched her teeth tightly, but didn’t object anymore.

After quite a while, the wizard who returned to the form of a girl muttered as if chewing.

“Let her wield her abilities.”

“Abilities?”

“Yeah. First, I think we need to get rid of the perception that it is a curse.”

Lia doesn’t know what the magic is to knock Psyche out every time she comes to a conclusion.

But the ‘Help me’. Or, ‘Please don’t abandon me’ words. It seems to be related to her childhood.

Therefore, recklessly awakening her powers might not be ideal.

“I don’t know if that’s possible.”

Verndia clicked his tongue briefly.

“Even if it’s not, she’s practicing to control it.”

“Better than doing nothing. I’ll try to find out more about what kind of magic it is. And…….”

Lia said hesitating.

“Help Aiden.”

“That human?”

Verndia wiggled one eyebrow. It meant he was displeased by the blurted words.

“Try it, you know. I broke up ties with Gann Hillace.”

Lia revealed Verndia’s release of false information by talking about the barrier.

“I think he did this to see how far the rumors of forbidden magic spread. Time has passed, but it has not spread anywhere.”

“You told the princess. So, you know that, don’t you?

“It’s not like that-”

“Be honest.”

Verndia cut bluntly.

“I really hate Hillace. Ilia, including you.”

“… ”

“Nevertheless, I am dealing with you because you are the most conscientious person. It’s also because you can make medicine.”

Verndia wiggled her brows as a sign of discomfort.

“But you’re asking me to help Hillace again.”

“… I’m not asking for free help. From now on, I will give you the medicine without any conditions.”

“That alone can’t be enough.”

Verndia pressed his chin.

“Be on the front line in the investigation of forbidden magic.”

“I still do—”

“Did you think I didn’t know that when I sent someone to investigate the alleyway, you got a clue and ran away? Thanks to you, half a day of precious time has passed.”

“… ”

“You’re always like that. Running away after knowing something. Even in the case of Leas 20 years ago—

“

“Stop.”

For her it was hard to live.

Verndia, who deliberately touched her trauma, raised one corner of his lips.

“So do it right. Aren’t you ashamed to hear something like this from a younger person?”

“…. Okay. If I can, I will.”

“There is one more.”

“What.”

“Proactively investigate the case of Leas. I know that it has been abandoned since the auction house.”

As if asking why he was caring about that, Lia raised her brow.

“Didn’t I tell you that the Leas case and the Forbidden Magic were somehow related?”

“They are. But the probability that the ‘it’ you are looking for is related to the Leas case is-“

“It’s either no or the chances are low. I know.”

Verndia let out his breath mixed with annoyance.

His beggarly weakness of will.

If she hadn’t been a princess, he wouldn’t have cared whether Lia was investigating the Leas case or not.

“It’s just to incite your shallow will. Why do you change the subject? A three-year-old child will be more reliable than you.”

“You! Talking like that to me!”

“If you don’t, there’s no reason for me to help Aiden.”

Verndia hated Aiden. He hates him because he is an Hillace, even more because Psychke cares too much about him.

However, he had to help him. Hillace approached her as far as lowering his status as an enlisted soldier.

And a wizard who tried to kill Psychke by summoning even a beast with forbidden magic.

He had a feeling that Aiden might have some clues related to the Leas case.

Conversely, if Lia did not investigate the Leas case, Aiden is useless for him. He had no reason to help.

“I will if I can!”

Lia, who eventually exploded, yelled.

“Instead, you help straight up too. That is our deal, right?”

“Of course.”

Verndia grinned.

“Instead of helping in the investigation of forbidden magic, hide your identity and cooperate in the case of Leas. Didn’t we make a contract like that?”

“Alright.”

Lia groaned as if trying to suppress her anger.

“I did.”

Rringg!

Suddenly, the clock on the table rang. It was a clock with magic so that an alarm would sound when a certain amount of time was reached. Turning off the alarm, Verndia got his body up.

“I need to go.”

“… To my dear? You two gets along well?”

“We’re going on a date anyway, so you can come and see her.”

“It’s fine. But… a date?”

Why is he leaving? 

Lia was puzzled who looked up and down at Verndia as he made his way out.

***

“Are you doing well?”

It was a quiet dance hall with only one trainee.

Verndia frowned at the swaying blade.

“Be focused.”

“It wasn’t that I was distracted, it was that I lost my strength.”

“It’s only been five hours though?”

It’s only five hours.

From dawn, he hung sand pockets on his hands and feet and circled the lotus field.

He did stabbing and slashing, which are the basics of the basics, hundreds of times.

Even the weather nearing summer is muggy, so it’s strange that he wasn’t exhausted, but only five hours-

“…!”

Psychke, who was looking at him with resentful eyes, hastily turned her head.

More than ten days have passed but looking at him still vividly recalls the events of that day.

‘I should have left. Why did I…….’

That day, Psychke was about to leave.

She was regretful that Verndia put a lot of pressure on her. He told her to leave since he won’t be tracking her whereabouts anyway.

But…

‘I made a promise at the auction house. Last but not least, why don’t we spar for the last time?’

That was the issue.

Just as fish cannot live out of water, a swordsman could not reject a Swords master’s offer.

And in the subsequent spar, Psychke was terribly defeated.

It was the first time to see such a defeat.

She felt bitter seeing the differences between their skill. It felt like she had been hit by a wall that she couldn’t move on.

But that kind of being,

‘I think it’ll be fine with a little more refinement.’

‘Do you not want to learn swordsmanship formally?’

‘I can teach you.’

‘I can give you more sparring.’

‘You should be able to touch me.’

She should have left and didn’t ask for help, and her heart had been broken helplessly.

But private lessons from a Sword Master. When will she get this chance again?

“Is it very difficult?”

Without notice, Verndia inched his face to her.

Psychke avoided his gaze.

“Then rest for ten minutes.”

“… ”

Putting down her sword, Psychke rubbed his sore arms. The wounds from the beasts had completely healed.

Verndia secretly glanced at his fiancée like that.

‘I really didn’t know I was going to do this all.’

In fact, he didn’t show it, but he was surely terrified that Psyche would disappear from his sight.

So, so that there is no stamina left to run away, the intensity of training was increased so that she would collapse completely from exhaustion.

She was going to reduce it to a certain extent if he made it too hard. She didn’t know that she would do everything she was told to do without saying anything.

‘Talent is a waste.’

What if she had been educated by a proper teacher from an early age?

Maybe she would have been much stronger than she is now, Verndia thought.

“Shall we fight, Princess?”

From that day on, the only time he made eye contact with Psychke was when they were fighting.

He regretted it, but it wasn’t that bad. Because he could see her when he normally doesn’t.

He said, for example, that she has lovely sparkling eyes.

She has a lively expression or-

“Yes.”

In response to the short answer, Verndia immediately grabbed his sword. Originally, they used practice swords for sparring. 

(TN: In relation to Lia and Leas case, they are different. Some of you might be confused, so I was, but they are different. The novel hasn’t said anything to clear what is Leas’ case, but we’ll know sooner or later, I guess.)