CH 93

The voice was a mix of confusion and anger. Of course, any other passer-by would have been alarmed by Ophelia’s reckless action.

However, the person who grabbed her hand was not just anyone.

“Are you trying to die in a different way now?”

“…Ian.”

As she recognized him, Ophelia momentarily looked up at him with surprise, but she soon calmed down as the tumultuous waves within her subsided.

“I don’t understand why you’re here.”

“I was about to leave. Just answer my question.”

“There’s no particular reason. Let go.”

Ophelia forcefully shook her hand to loosen Ian’s grip, but he didn’t budge.

In the first place, if Ian wished, he could have fully incapacitated Ophelia with just his bare hands and bring her somewhere else, yet he was being patient right now.

He was just about to come out because he heard the commotion outside, so when he saw the woman he loved trying to throw herself into the fire like that, there was no way that he wouldn’t be shocked.

Whether this pounding heart was because of his affection for her or because of surprise, he didn’t know.

With her red hair cascading down the cloak that was hanging upon her shoulders, and with a slight frown on her face in just the same way as she did in his dreams, she was here.

Ian’s gaze unwittingly wandered and his grip relaxed as well, but the moment Ophelia tried to shake him off, he came to his senses.

“Let go of me!”

“…If I let go, will you try to do something crazy again?”

“It doesn’t matter if my hand becomes old. It’s none of your business, so let go.”

“Is it because of that bastard?”

Alejandro. 

As soon as Ian mentioned him, Ophelia’s expression hardened.

“So you knew. That he was detained.”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t know. It was such a show.”

Ian answered sardonically with a languishing chuckle.

“And now you’re trying to sacrifice your hand for that bastard.”

“Don’t call him that. And you know how ridiculous of an idea it is to lock him up.”

She knew that Alei was just letting himself be detained because he was being mindful of Ophelia’s circumstances, but the very idea of keeping him in shackles was like trying to contain a natural disaster.

Even sirens could recognize the immeasurable magnitude of his mana. Ophelia herself couldn’t imagine the extent of the damage there would be if Alei were to break free.

If Ophelia couldn’t use the method of framing Verlan, then this time, she would have no choice but to resort to force. Although, as much as possible, she didn’t want to use that method.

‘Of course, I can just tell him that he doesn’t have to hold back, but.’

She knew that even if Alei were to hear this, he wouldn’t let loose with his magic straightaway.

He was cautious by nature, he was going to listen to Ophelia but would also try to figure things out as much as he could.

If she told him that it was an inevitable situation, then he would absolutely sweep the floor with them.

Certainly enough, there’s a reason why Ophelia was so sure about this.

After he had gotten angry and lost his senses as he crushed Ian to the ground, Ophelia once asked him this question.

—Alei, what’s the maximum amount of power you can produce at once?

Ophelia had suddenly become curious.

For a mage like him, who could calm the oceans waves and make the waters shine as though there were stars within while not even breaking a sweat, what was the maximum output that he could produce?

Alei pondered for a long while, then he soon answered.

—I don’t know either.

—You don’t have an estimate?

Yennit could measure her own strength through the weight that she could lift at once, and Cornelli could measure his through the number of trees he could cut down in one fell swoop.

He would need to gauge on his own since there’s a visual aspect to measuring one’s magical output.

—I heard that the magic tower has a device that could measure your mana.

—I don’t know if that thing can measure my mana, so I don’t have a clue, really. I’ve always just been using one-fifth of my power.

Furthermore, when calming the seas, which normally needed a huge amount of power, he held up just one out of his ten fingers and said that’s all he needed.

—If I try to use more than that, my control would slip. I must have my own limits, but because I couldn’t measure my own bounds properly, even I fall under the illusion of omnipotence.

—You say that as if you’ve tried it once.

—I did, before.

The most common means of measurement was what Cornelli did. How many trees would Alei be able to cut down at once?

So, he went to a forest to try this. As he gradually increased his output, at one point, the entire forest disappeared.

But that wasn’t the most terrible part of it.

As though it wasn’t enough to wipe away an entire forest—this was something he wanted to forget, and yet he remembered it well.

—I was vaguely aware of my output back then, and I can remember having fun. But still, I didn’t notice how destructive I was being. After that, I don’t let loose anymore.

—But won’t there be times when it’s necessary for you to do so?

—Of course. If I’m being restrained by strong shackles, then… I might need to do that.

Still though, Alei said that he didn’t want that time to come.

If he were to release his power to break through the bonds, then it would be difficult for him to rein it back in.

—The vicinity would definitely be left in ruins.

When he said this, Alei looked very distressed. No, it would be more accurate to say that he was agonized over it.

Immediately after this, Alei looked up and said to Ophelia.

—I don’t mind being restrained if you’re nearby. If I bring you any harm, I…

Finding a rival for him was more difficult than making the sun rise from the western mountains. Such a man like him had an insecure expression on his face, agonizing like this just because of Ophelia. She recalled Alei’s face for just a moment, but soon erased it from her mind.

Because the more she thought about it, the more this strange feeling of exaltation surged within her.

It’s clear that, if there really was no other choice and the only way for Alei to solve the situation was to unleash his magic, he would only have a more troubled look.

‘Of course, I believe he’ll be able to control it, but…’

She had also considered the possibility of him not being able to do so. And Ophelia of course had no plans of letting Alei fall into self-destruction.

Ophelia was already well aware of how much the thought of everything falling to ruin would stab at him so sharply inside.

She warned Ian.

“If you continue to tie him up like that, you’ll regret it when something happens later.”

“…Who knows. If that’s going to be a problem, then it should have been difficult to keep that bastard held down.”

But the answer that returned to her was cold.

With an anguished look in his eyes, Ian stared deeply at Ophelia, firmly holding her by her shoulders.

“Ophelia, think about it. Do you want him to be released just because you think he’s in danger? Or is it because he’s your only ticket to get into the magic tower?”

The magic tower.

As soon as those words came out of Ian’s lips, it felt as though something plummeted with a resounding thud inside Ophelia.

“…Right now, what did you just say?”

Ophelia unconsciously took a step back.

“How did you…”

“You really thought that I didn’t know anything?”

The distance created between them soon narrowed back down right away. Ophelia watched as his shadow overtook her.

“Milescet is a very religious nation with many devout believers, but not Ronen. You also know this, but Ronen also interacts with the magic tower. I know all about the taboos.”

It was the taboo about how the tower’s location could never be revealed. The only person who was allowed to do so was the lord of the magic tower.

That day, when Ian saw Ophelia being whisked away into the sky by a man with golden wings, he sensed that what Ophelia was striving for was not in this continent.

“As if it’s not enough that you fraternize with that bastard Alejandro every day, you’ve even got another bastard who’s not even human hovering around you. Wouldn’t it be harder not to notice?”

Ian had gotten to know about sirens and their lifestyle through the magic tower to some extent, and so it was all too clear to him what Ophelia’s intent was.

She was trying to use the lord of the magic tower so that she herself could go to that place.

Ian’s expression was tinged with both love and regret.

“You’ve done it in the past, and even now, you’re still doing it. Just so you could escape, you’re trying to use someone else.”