Chapter 7

“Well then, I’ll see you again next time.”

Rohan finished his farewell and left the room, leaving Anna behind.

Melody, who had been fiddling with a hammer, soon shifted her hands to a book. She let out a sigh of admiration at the books about rune script research. When she looked up again, Anna was watching her, holding a tray full of food.

“May I prepare dinner for you?”

Melody was startled and looked out the window. Outside, the sky had already darkened into deep black.

“When did the sun set?”

“Just now.”

“Uh, can I bring dinner back to my room?”

Anna seemed a little embarrassed but nodded. Her quarters were in a separate building, a little away from the main hall.

“Yes, I’ll pack it into a basket for you.”

“But I guess I can’t borrow books to take with me, right?”

“You’ll have to ask Lord Rohan or the steward about that. Usually, you’re not allowed to take books outside the library.”

“Hmm, then I’ll ask the Duke tomorrow.”

Having to leave you behind—Melody’s pages fluttered with lingering regret, when Anna suddenly asked with a startled look.

“You’re really going to meet the Duke in person?!”

Melody blinked at Anna’s reaction, which was like someone who had just heard a ghost story. Anna hurriedly added,

“Well, it’s very rare to have a chance to see the Duke up close. Even if he leaves his room, there’s no chance to talk. A maid like me doesn’t even get to follow him on expeditions.”

Melody tilted her head, looking at Anna curiously.

“What about meals?”

“Lord Rohan brings them himself. He also takes care of the Duke’s clothes and accessories. Cleaning is only done when the Duke is away, but even when he goes out, he never takes anyone except Lord Rohan and the coachman.”

“The Duke must really trust Lord Rohan.”

“He’s the only person serving the Duke closely.”

But in the book, Rohan betrays Deonis and sides with the crown prince. Remembering Deonis’s lonely last moments, Anna’s voice continued softly.

“Still, I like working at the Duke’s mansion.”

“Why?”

“Because even from a distance, I get to see the Duke. If I hadn’t worked here, I would have died just hearing rumors that such a handsome man existed.”

That was true. The image of Deonis under the sunlight would probably remain in Melody’s memory until her dying day. She nodded slowly.

“I agree.”

At her firm answer, Anna shyly smiled.

The next day, Melody headed straight to Deonis’s room as soon as she woke up.

“You’re here?”

Deonis was wearing a bathrobe over comfortable clothes, as if he had just washed up. Thinking about the terrible pain he was enduring made even that sight seem fragile.

“How do you bear it?”

“……”

After a moment of silence, Deonis parted his red lips.

“By gritting my teeth. Resenting the world?”

Though he spoke as if joking, Melody couldn’t laugh. It was a relief that his pain didn’t grow proportionally with his magic power.

“First, I want to measure your magic power.”

Melody set out the magic-nullification device she had made overnight.

“Here.”

When Deonis wore the magic-nullification device, the magic core inside turned to white ash and crumbled. Melody frowned.

“This happens when too much magic power is put in for the core to handle. The device couldn’t absorb all your magic.”

She had brought a magic measurement tool.

But Deonis’s magic kept surpassing the limits of the device Melody made, forcing her to repeatedly revise the magical formula.

Only near sunset was she able to roughly measure his magic power. It was well beyond that of three gargoyles, considered high-level monsters.

“This magic-nullification device won’t suffice.”

If it had been a simple problem, Melody in the novel wouldn’t have died here, so it was natural to fail.

“I’ve never seen so much magic power before.”

“An honor.”

“We’ll need at least twenty of these. It probably won’t work, but let’s try anyway.”

Deonis accepted the magic-nullification devices and strapped them to his arms. Wearing all twenty, he looked like a mummy loosely wrapped in bandages. Even if it succeeded, he wouldn’t be able to leave the study looking like that.

“I’ll start.”

• Be free.

Could she relieve him from his pain? With faint hope, she activated the magic tool, and the magic core crumbled again. What kind of magic was this?

“A failure.”

“Regrettable.”

Deonis spoke as if he expected it. He acted like he had no hope. Seeing that sparked Melody’s stubbornness. She wanted to show him her true ability.

“The magic cores are enough, so I’ll make a bigger one. You won’t be able to carry it around, but at least you can rest comfortably at home.”

“Home? You mean here?”

A dark, heavy feeling surfaced on his sculpted face. For him, everywhere inside the barrier was pain. He probably didn’t want anyone to see him suffering, so he never left his room.

Though understandable, maybe because he was a mage like his father, Melody couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Rohan entered the study and handed a very thin report to Deonis.

“This is the investigation report on Melody Ryuud.”

“Is this all?”

Deonis quickly skimmed the single-page report. It was almost blank on her activities before entering the temple. It only said she had wandered around making illegal magic tools and was lucky to enter the temple.

“Even if she lived in the slums, someone would have found her tail. It’s like she dropped out of nowhere after becoming an adult.”

For example, outside the holy barrier. Rohan looked puzzled when Deonis muttered softly.

“Only criminals or mages would wander outside the barrier.”

Since monsters appear frequently there, sane people usually avoid it.

But right now, it seemed likely. Melody was unusual in many ways: her past helping a mage, her attitude toward mages.

Though she was dragged there by threats, she sincerely cared for him. She was confident she would definitely fix him.

It wasn’t a pain that would kill, and she could easily ignore someone like a mage who was no longer human.

“This is a contract she signed while working at an illegal magic tool store.”

“Pathetic.”

The working hours and pay were exploitative. Melody Ryuud’s name was neatly written on a contract that no one who knew the world would ever sign.

“Still, it looks like the next contracts were better.”

Probably because her skills were recognized or she realized the realities of the world. It was somewhat better but still a terrible contract, which made Deonis frown.

“Looks like she entered the temple after being introduced by a customer she met there. Should I order more investigation?”

There were many questions: how she started making magic tools, her relation to the mage he caught.

“No, that’s enough.”

But it wasn’t necessary to know. As long as she could make the magic tools, that was enough.

The magic-nullification device.

It might be the very item that could free him from his wretched original sin.