CH 7

The young man leapt in and embraced me without hesitation, then quickly began running while still holding me.

“Wait… Larry-sama and… Sen-se…,” I stammered.

My voice wouldn’t come out properly. Rain was getting in my mouth. I couldn’t even move my arms and legs properly.

“It’s okay. I don’t know what that was, but it looks like it used up a lot of magic to cast on you. It’ll probably disappear soon because it can’t maintain that form for much longer. More importantly, we need to get you away from there.”

So I had been under the effect of magic. It must have been when he touched my head. That makes sense.

I tried to move my right hand, but I couldn’t do it well. My body was still trembling and I couldn’t stop it.

Even though my body was clearly telling me something was wrong, I felt incredibly relieved. Maybe it was because the low, monotone voice explained everything so clearly, or maybe it was because this person’s body was warm.

“It’s warm…” I murmured.

The young man gave me a quick glance.

“…Your body temperature is dropping,” he said.

After a moment, he stopped. We were in front of a large tree hollow. It was the perfect size for the both of us.

He carried me inside, and I was finally able to escape the rain. I was relieved.

“This is the famous [herb forest’s giant tree hollow] at the Academy,” he said.

A sound of warmth echoed and my body was enveloped in warm air. My body and clothes began to dry quickly. It must be a combination of fire magic and wind magic, it’s quite skillful.

Even so, the coldness did not disappear.

“… it looks like you’re being forced to use [magic]. I’ll neutralize it with my magic. Sorry, but please bear with this position for a bit longer.”

With that, he embraced me again. He sat me on his lap, his hands lightly stroking my back.

Then, from the places where he was touching me, something gentle began to seep in. It enveloped my body, slowly warming it and driving away the coldness.

Plus, he had a really calming smell about him and when that happened, I could no longer keep my strength.

Enduring is out of the question. It’s warm and feels good.

He looked at me and muttered, “Our magic is compatible, huh.” I relaxed and, trying something, looked up to face him directly. We were quite close but he didn’t look away either.

The hair that was damp and hard to make out in the dim light is now clear to see as shining gold. A face that is frighteningly well-shaped. Due to a lack of emotion, one might call him unfriendly, but still, what catches the eye is his deep blue eyes. Surely deeper than the deep sea. In them, one can definitely see worry for me. Is that why I don’t think of him as cold, despite his expressionless face? I think he has a pouty face.

With these good looks and an eagle, there is no doubt about it.

“Llewayne, Your Highness?”

“That’s right, my fiancé. Nice to meet you.”

I saw that his gaze towards me softened a little.

“Your Highness… well, I understand why now.”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while… ah, it’s nothing.”

“What do you mean?”

What does he mean? Wasn’t this the first time we met?

The crown prince had a slip of the tongue kind of face. He probably really did slip up.

“There’s magic like that… that’s good. More importantly, I’m sorry I couldn’t come and see you before.”

He started to say it’s not good, but stopped. That’s because the crown prince’s eyes were serious.

“If I could finish the crown prince’s work two weeks early, I was told by my father that I could come and see you. But with ceremonies and parties, and in general, there was never a two-week gap in my schedule.”

I was surprised and took a deep breath.

Does His Highness have the intention to continue our engagement? This is different from the scenario. This person, is different from the scenario.

“[Spring], I’ve been using magic and the Phantom Beast to search for you since the beginning. I’m glad I finally found you, even though it was quite far.”

Your Highness said that, and once again put some soft emotion on his cold-looking beauty. My heart makes a sound I don’t understand.

“Thank you, for your help. For finding me.”

When I said that, it seemed like His Highness had a slightly happy face, but maybe it’s just my imagination.

Anyway, I shake off that thought. Right now it’s [Spring].

“Your Highness, I am a human hint. And just now, I discovered a fake and received this.”

I take a small box out of my skirt pocket. I knew what the magic sealed inside it based on the strategy book.

“Ah, [Transfer], is it? From the look of it, you also know the contents of the clue.”

I nod.

His Highness says, “So I already know that while searching for you, I defeated about 20 humans who attacked you. And among them, there was a hint.” Apparently, when it comes to the three strongest, the rivalry is fierce.

“You’ve recovered by now. Use that and go. I’ll go on my own.”

It seems that His Highness plans to take separate action from me now. I began to question him as I started to say “Since you helped me, let’s go together,” but then I felt a doubt.

“Why were you looking for me, Your Highness?”

At that moment, His Highness’s hand touched my hair. He stroked it as if to confirm the feeling, and twined the ends of my hair around his finger.

“——I wanted to see you. As soon as possible.”

His Highness looked satisfied as he smiled and left by himself. I was left behind, still stiff and staring at His Highness’s back with my head only.

The rain had stopped and the light of the sun that I hadn’t seen in a long time was leaking through the gaps between the trees.

When His Highness, who was standing with his back to me as if protecting me, let his magic spread throughout his body, I finally noticed that we were surrounded by multiple people. Because I was a hint of a human, or because he was one of the Three Strong.

“Go. It’s only been an hour since it started. You can aim for a high rank now.”

I couldn’t say no. Because I would only be a liability to him.. Even if I try to go together with him, he wouldn’t nod.

“Can I see you again?”

I didn’t say thank you or I’m sorry, but those words came out of my mouth.

But it wasn’t a mistake. Because His Highness, who turned around, had the kindest face he had ever had.

“Of course, Rebecca.”

I firmly nodded to his words and then opened the box.

The magic that can be obtained from the teacher by seeing through the imposter is [Transfer]. It is a powerful magic that can fly to any location within a radius of 2 kilometers. Because of its high difficulty, students cannot use it, making it a big advantage.

While hoping that there was a boys’ dormitory within a radius of 2 kilometers, I thought of [the place closest to the exterior decoration of the east side of the boys’ dormitory].

Although the sensation of the world changing rapidly was still there, I did not close my eyes this time. I wanted to burn into my memory the back of His Highness who was protecting me for as long as possible.