Chapter 24……………………………………………………
Adamas hated windy days.
“Ugh. Sand got in my eye.”
“Are you okay? Come here. I’ll blow it out for you.”
Sapeiros carefully blew gently into Adamas’s eye.
“Yeah. I think it’s better now. I just can’t ever get along with the wind!”
Adamas said it loudly on purpose, glancing toward Pantheon.
It was Adamas’s own way of warning him: We already know who you really are, so don’t try anything funny.
Pantheon simply smiled quietly at Adamas.
The weather was unusually clear. The wind was strong, and the sunlight was almost painfully hot.
It was the first day they had stepped into the desert, holding an old map marked in red at their destination.
The Marquis had requested that the desert expedition happen as quickly as possible, but there were two problems.
More precisely, problems caused by Sapeiros’s absence:
The management of the mine development, and the weakening of the Marquisate’s military strength.
The Marquis decided to personally oversee the mining site. After all, without Adamas, it would be difficult to distinguish mana stones from ordinary minerals, so for now they would focus only on excavation.
As for the weakening of combat power, they solved it by temporarily hiring skilled mercenaries.
Although he had lost to Stephan in the martial tournament, the fairly well-known B-rank mercenary Mr. Kuchero and Rubena Tizor, the second son of Count Rubena, were still staying within the territory. The Marquis even considered knighting them, acknowledging their abilities.
The desert expedition was kept as secret as possible.
The first reason was the possibility that spies from the Kingdom of Loviana might have infiltrated the territory during the Harvest Festival.
The second reason was the House of Corundum Mage.
Until now, desert exploration had always been handled by the Corundum family. Sending someone else would essentially prove that the Marquis did not trust his vassal Corundum. And the Marquis still did not have the power to stand against Onyx and Corundum.
Because of that, Sapeiros’s leave was disguised as “sick leave.”
Of course, the one who was actually sick was Adamas.
The Marquis’s plan was simple:
Sapeiros would devotedly nurse his fiancée Adamas, who had suffered heatstroke from overworking as a tournament judge.
Ah… now rumors will spread beyond the Marquisate too.
Shaking his head, Adamas looked at the group.
From the very start, this desert trip had turned out completely different from the plan.
Not only had the runaway Privetina come along, but also two outsiders whose identities were unknown.
Fine! If it’s come to this, I’ll uncover the secret of the golem no matter what!
If they could find even a trace of the mad magician in this place where you couldn’t see an inch ahead…
Surely a bright future would unfold for the Marquisate!
Adamas clenched his fist firmly.
A bright future, my foot.
Watching Sapeiros sigh as he compared the map to the terrain, Adamas muttered a curse.
They had arrived at the marked point on the map. But during the journey, they had found nothing unusual about the desert.
Where had it gone wrong? Had they come all this way relying on nothing but a legend? Had they missed something along the way?
“What if we go a little farther, Ros?”
Sapeiros shook his head.
“There would be no end to it.”
In truth, this wasn’t exactly the end of the desert. The sand stretched endlessly before them.
But they had limited time. They had agreed with the Marquis to only search up to this point.
“Let’s stop here and go back. Even Corundum probably hasn’t gone farther than this.”
Sapeiros said calmly as he tucked the map into his coat.
“Was it really true… that there was nothing here, just like Corundum said?”
Adamas, unable to contain his frustration, kicked the sand hard.
“Damn it! Agh…!”
“What? Mas, are you hurt?”
“Mm… there was something hard.”
“You have to be careful. Let me see.”
Sapeiros knelt down, trying to remove Adamas’s shoe.
“It’s fine. If you take it off here, sand will just get inside.”
“But it might be bleeding.”
“I’m okay.”
“Still, take it off once.”
Meeting Sapeiros’s blue eyes looking up at him from below, Adamas felt strangely embarrassed.
“You can step harder if you want.”
Sapeiros said softly as he rested Adamas’s shoe on his strong thigh.
Through the whipping sandstorm, his low, gentle voice carried.
Adamas, remembering the rough shouting voice from the Baran River, said:
“Aren’t you being way too sweet lately for no reason? That’s basically a crime, you know?”
“…Sometimes. No, honestly, often. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Adamas pulled his foot away.
“You annoying jerk!”
Kicking again in irritation, Adamas struck the hard object once more.
“Agh! I’m so mad. What even is that?!”
“Honestly, I can’t tell if you’re smart or stupid.”
Sapeiros dug at the sand beneath Adamas’s foot.
What emerged was a stone about the size of a fist.
“Oh? Oh!”
“A strange-looking stone. It resembles a pinecone.”
“A pinecone? Sir Sapeiros, you need a better sense of aesthetics. This is a rose.”
“What? This?”
Adamas quietly laughed, took the stone from Sapeiros, and placed it in his bag.
“It’s heavy. Throw it away. We still have a long walk back.”
“No.”
Adamas lightly shook his head.
Sapeiros frowned, then silently offered his own bag.
“Then give it to me. It’s heavy.”
“I told you. It’s a rose. It only has meaning if I keep it.”
Adamas whispered softly.
“Thank you… for giving me a flower.”
He hugged the bag like it was a newborn child and smiled.
“…Um, are you two done talking?”
“Ah, Tina. What is it?”
“Well… it’s not that something happened. It’s just… you two are being so affectionate it’s hard to interrupt.”
Privetina turned her eyes away.
“Seriously. Starting with kneeling down, then thanking him for a stone gift. Are you sane? Could you at least pick a better time and place for wedding rehearsal?”
Stephan sneered.
“What, so you two aren’t married already?”
Now even Pantheon joined in.
“Come on, brother. How old are they? Marriage already?”
“But those rings… ordinary couples couldn’t wear something like that. I thought they were wedding rings.”
Pantheon pointed at their rings.
“Oh! I know that one. It’s the beetle ring, symbol of the Marquis family!”
Privetina clapped, eyes sparkling.
As they said, Sapeiros and Adamas were wearing matching rings. Since the tournament, Sapeiros still hadn’t returned it to the Marquis.
“…Agate.”
Pantheon murmured quietly.
“Oh, yes. Green agate. Do you know gemstones well?”
What is this shameless con artist… does he actually know gems? Maybe he has some redeeming qualities!
Adamas’s eyes sparkled.
“So that ring isn’t a wedding ring, right?”
“Ah, yes. Of course not. Why suddenly ask?”
“Oh, nothing. Just curious. Let’s return to the Marquisate.”
Pantheon smiled slyly, turning away.
Adamas quietly raised his finger behind his back—
his right middle finger, bearing the beetle ring.
Whether he noticed or not, Pantheon finished preparing to leave with the group.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
At Sapeiros’s gentle urging, Adamas had no choice but to turn back.
Walking toward the Marquisate, Adamas kept glancing back at the endless sand plains.
Sapeiros, as if understanding her heart completely, quietly wrapped an arm around Adamas’s shoulders.
* * *
It was quicksand.
Stephan’s feet were sinking rapidly into the sand swamp.
“W–whoa!”
Privetina, walking beside him, reacted first. She quickly grabbed Stephan’s long spear.
But then her own feet sank with a thud.
Two companions trapped, struggling in quicksand.
“Don’t panic. Wait, Stephanos.”
Pantheon spoke calmly.
Then, seconds later, an incomprehensible sound spilled from his lips.
Sound became words, words became names, names became song—
a song no one but a contractor could even comprehend.
Ss—sssss…
With a cold wind unlike the dry desert air, a small and beautiful woman softly descended onto Pantheon’s shoulder.
A beauty beyond human language.
With a gesture of her hand, Stephan and Privetina floated up into the air.
“Thank you. Sylph.”
Pantheon said, stroking the translucent sylph’s golden hair.
The lame swordsman Pantheon…
His true identity was a contractor of the high-ranking wind spirit Sylph.
“So he really was a spirit mage.”
“Yes. Even with an injured foot, that kind of invisible speed… only possible with a wind spirit contract.”
Wasn’t he 22 years old?
If he could handle wind so skillfully, he must have formed the contract in childhood…
Even in the future, Adamas had never known a spirit mage this exceptional.
“Indeed… at that level, his injured foot wouldn’t be much of a problem.”
Sapeiros’s eyes shone with pure admiration.
“What, do you want to fight Pantheon too?”
“I’ve never sparred with a spirit mage before. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested.”
“Good. Then that works out perfectly.”
“Sometimes, you really are smart.”
Sapeiros looked at Adamas in amazement.
“Hmph. You’re finally recognizing the true worth of Lord Adamas, Sir Sapeiros.”
Adamas laughed, extending his hand.
Sapeiros smiled and slapped his palm loudly.
At first, Adamas had opposed letting the two unknown brothers accompany them.
But Sapeiros had two reasons.
First: possible danger.
If golems truly came across the desert, they would need skilled fighters for safety.
Second: their identities were still unknown.
Sapeiros wanted them close so he could determine whether they were dangerous.
Completely opposite of Adamas’s argument to avoid them.
After much 고민, Adamas agreed on one condition:
A duel.
Sapeiros, intrigued by their strength.
Privetina, lacking real combat experience.
After the desert journey, the brothers would become sparring partners for Sapeiros and Privetina—
and they would fight seriously.
Once agreed, the brothers stopped hiding their abilities.
Watching Pantheon boldly summon Sylph, Adamas tilted his head.
Wait… have I seen Pantheon in “Introduction to Spirit Studies”…?
