ABDB – CH 03

Chapter 3

Jeryl was literally running like crazy. She didn’t know how long she had been running when the gray museum finally appeared in the distance.

‘He’s not thinking I stood him up for revenge, is he?’

She didn’t know it, but that was exactly what Caron thought. Under the glowing streetlights of the square, she saw him sitting there, long legs crossed.

“Huff… Cal, you’re still here. Haa… I’m so sorry.”
“……”
“The clinic—huff—something urgent happened!”

Caron stood up slowly, glaring at the silver-haired head that had just run up to him.

“……”
“I’m really sorry. Huff… I think I’m going to throw up…”

Should I kill her?

“I’ll make it up to you. I’ll show you around the capital myself…”

Or should I just crush her little head?

Caron’s hand brushed against the gun in his pocket before he finally lowered it. His beautiful face twisted into a fake smile.

“It’s fine. Calm down first.”

If she threw up on his shoes, that would be another problem.

Not noticing his cold thoughts, Jeryl gave him an apologetic look.

“Ah, I’m really sorry, Cal. You haven’t had dinner yet, right? Let’s eat first?”
“I know a nice restaurant in the back alley. Shall we go there?”

They both looked toward the dark, narrow alley. It was so gloomy that no one would notice if someone died there.

But—

“The food there’s bad! I know a better place. Let’s go!”

Jeryl’s cheerful voice broke through his plan. Caron’s face twitched.

Wait, there’s actually a restaurant there?

***

Unfortunately, most restaurants were closed because it was late. Except for one.

“…The interior’s a little odd, but apparently this place has good reviews, haha.”

Jeryl wiped the sweat from her forehead as she sat at a frilly pink table. Watching Caron’s face grow darker by the second was torture.

“Dinner Set A — ‘Honey, I Want to Know Your Heart’ — please enjoy your meal.”

The waiter spoke with a blank face and turned away. The words ‘Love Restaurant for Couples’ were printed on the back of his uniform.

Silence filled the air.

He’s mad, isn’t he?

Jeryl fidgeted nervously before she started talking again, desperate to break the awkward silence.

“So, Cal, what do you like? Like, your favorite season or food?”
“……”
“I love spring, so I’m looking forward to May. I eat pretty much everything, and hmm…”

It felt weirdly like a blind date, but she kept talking.

“I like small animals like rabbits or cats, and I like plants, and snow too.”
“……”
“And, um, I have a little brother, and I like him too.”
“You like a lot of things.”

Caron’s cold expression didn’t change as he replied. When the waiter brought them ribbon-decorated spoons, he almost wanted to leave—but watching her squirm was amusing.

If I reveal who I am now, she might actually cry.

He was curious what her cheerful face would look like twisted in horror.

“What about dislikes? Is there anything you hate?”

He finally spoke!

Relieved, Jeryl answered too honestly.

“I don’t really hate much. But if I had to choose—blind dates?”
“…Blind dates?”

Caron’s voice dropped sharply. Jeryl didn’t notice.

“More like, the person I was supposed to meet.”
“Why?”
“You might not know since you’re a foreigner, but the guy was the Duke of Leppert.”
“And why do you hate him?”

He sounded genuinely puzzled.

She says she loves everything, but she hates me?

“He kills people without a second thought.”
“……”
“He’s violent and cruel… Honestly, he’s terrifying.”

And worst of all, he kills me, she thought but didn’t say.

Caron’s lips curved into a cold smile. She wasn’t wrong.

Everyone called him a monster who killed without guilt.

What were you expecting? Everyone fears you.
A childlike, mocking voice echoed in his head. The madness inside him stirred again.

“You’re right.”

He slowly nodded.

“You know, the duke’s parents abandoned him too.”
“I didn’t know that.”

Come to think of it, the novel The Saint’s Blade Points at the Crown Prince never explained the villain’s past—just that the mad duke led a rebellion and killed himself in the end.

But why did he commit suicide? The rebellion was almost a success.

“They wanted a stronger heir, but the next child was a red mage. So they discarded him.”
“Because of the madness?”
“Yes. When the madness takes over, he can’t control who he kills. Perfect conditions for a tyrant.”

Jeryl’s face turned somber.

“You know about red mages’ madness?”
“Not really.”
“The first sign is hearing voices in your head,” he said, pressing his ear.

“The voices remind them of their most miserable memories until their mind breaks. When the voices take full control, the madness begins.”
“……”
“And then?”
“They destroy everything—people, objects, everything.”

Jeryl wondered what happened when there was nothing left to destroy. Caron smirked.

“Only themselves.”
“That’s… awful.”
“Every red mage corpse is missing its head. They couldn’t stand the voices anymore and blew their own heads off. That’s why red mages rarely live past 30.”

Caron wanted to rip his own mouth apart. Damn madness—it made him keep talking.

“Would you call that suicide, or murder?”

【How about acting more pitiful?】
【Maybe she’ll pity you, unlike your parents.】

The child’s shrieking voice in his mind was unbearable.

“…That kind of ‘product’ deserves to be thrown away. The emperor and empress made the right choice.”
“……”
“So, don’t you feel sorry for the Duke of Leppert?”

Jeryl’s expression softened.

“He really didn’t have a good childhood, did he?”
“He didn’t?”

She thought of her own childhood, the one she had buried deep inside.

[Sis, what does ‘adopted’ mean?]

She had been the adopted child. Then her adoptive parents had their own “real” child.

“Same old story. I got jealous of my little brother who was loved for nothing, hated myself for it, and in the end…”

Her lips trembled. Suddenly, she wasn’t in the restaurant anymore—she was back on the stairs that day.

[Sis, wait for me!]
[Don’t touch me!]

Screech!
The sound of brakes echoed in her head. And her own scream, right after she pushed him away.

“It didn’t end happily.”

Her reflection wavered in the dark tea.

“Anyway, I do feel sorry for the duke, but I’m still afraid of him.”
“Why?”
“Because people can change. A sad past doesn’t excuse violence.”

She set the cup down.

“Change? You’re wrong. Childhood defines who we are—you can’t change that.”
“You can’t change the past, but you can change the present.”

Their eyes met sharply. Jeryl flinched under his glare.

“…Enough of this nonsense.”

Caron pressed his ear again. If he listened to her any longer, he might really kill her. He stood up and left.

“Dessert Set A — ‘Honey, thanks for being honest with me’ — is served.”
“Keep it.”
“……”

***

Outside, Jeryl found Cal looking up at the sky. Under the dim light, his figure looked faint, as if he could disappear with a touch.

“It’s late. I’ll walk you to the carriage depot.”
“There’s a great night view nearby—come see it next time.”

She turned to leave.

Step. Step. Step.

She heard heavier footsteps following her.

“Why are you following me?”
“You’re really going to walk alone through Dekia Alley? It hasn’t even been a week since you were almost killed.”

He wasn’t wrong. The alley was dark—perfect for someone to jump out of.

“Help me!”

Just like that.

A small figure ran out, and Jeryl nearly lost her balance. Caron grabbed her arm, gun already in hand.

A child?

A little boy, maybe ten, clung to her skirt. Then he collapsed in her arms.

He was covered in fresh bruises and cuts.

“He’s been beaten,” Jeryl said.
“Looks like it.”

She checked his pulse and placed a hand on his wounds to heal him.

“Huh?”

But her magic wouldn’t sink in—it just slid over him.

Caron clicked his tongue.

“Normal magic won’t work. Don’t bother—he doesn’t need your help.”
“What?”
“Look at his hair. He’s a red mage.”

The boy’s red hair was fading back to its natural color—a sign he had just used magic.

Blue and red mages couldn’t heal each other easily.

“But we can’t just leave him! These bruises—he’s clearly been abused.”
“And what can you do about it?”
“I can at least treat the wounds.”
“I told you, normal magic won’t work—”

He stopped mid-sentence.

The boy’s bleeding had stopped.

This much should be fine.

It wasn’t blue magic—just normal healing—but still impressive.

She couldn’t fully heal him, though. That was the limit.

If only I could use blue magic, he’d be fine in seconds.

Caron swore and grabbed her wrist.

“Stop before you burn out your mana. He’s not worth it.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“He’s going to be abandoned, abused, and turn into a monster. That’s a red mage’s fate!”
“I said stop with that crap. There’s no such thing as fate!”

Jeryl’s eyes flashed.

“Is that what this is? You were talking about yourself, weren’t you?”
“What?”
“That story about the duke—it was really about your childhood.”
“……”
“This boy isn’t you. Don’t project your misery onto him.”

Silence filled the alley. The voices screamed again in Caron’s head.

【Why not just kill her?】

He clenched his jaw.

“Maybe you’re the one projecting your sad childhood onto him.”
“You’re right.”
“……”
“You’re right. Childhood shapes us. Maybe that’s why I am the way I am.”

She knelt beside the boy and touched his broken leg. His fragile warmth reminded her of her dying brother.

“People ask why I work at a children’s clinic that doesn’t even pay. They say nothing will change.”

Her trembling fingers began to glow faintly blue. She took a deep breath.

“But I do it because things can change. So kids won’t grow up like you. Or like me.”

So no child will ever die because of someone like me again.

“I’ll make sure of that.”

Her silver hair began to glow blue.

Dekia Alley was known as a place where sunlight never reached—a dumping ground for society’s trash.

But that night, for the first time, light spread through the darkness.

Slowly, powerfully, as if to drive all the shadows away.

It was the long-lost Blue Magic, vanished a thousand years ago.