Chapter 125
Serzan’s persistent gaze pressed down on the top of my head.
I lowered my head and focused on clinging to his leg.
“When you feel disgust and leave me~”
“What kind of song is that?”
“I’ll quietly let you go without a word…”
“Are those even the right lyrics?”
He sighed deeply. Then he slowly bent his knees.
“Look up.”
As soon as he lowered himself, I quickly let go of his leg and instead threw my arms around his neck from behind.
“Go!” I declared boldly.
Another long sigh came from him.
I tightened my grip around his neck as if to urge him forward.
From this angle, I couldn’t see his face — and he couldn’t see mine.
“I still don’t know how you found out, but Agricen is one thing I wished you didn’t know about.”
He clicked his tongue in frustration.
“This happened tens of thousands of years ago. How much of my shameful past do you actually know?”
He hooked his hands under my legs and stood up. I loosened my grip just a little.
As Serzan began moving swiftly, stepping from tree to tree like an assassin, I mumbled in self-defense,
“I don’t know everything… just some important events.”
“Agricen was not an important event. That was just… venting, a way to kill time.”
Suddenly, Serzan stopped on a branch.
“No, this is foolish. Get down.”
I immediately tightened every muscle in my body, locking myself around him like a vice.
“No.”
Right then, Raglia’s voice exploded from my bracelet, wrapping around Serzan’s neck.
[I’ve been waiting for this moment! Time to kill you!]
“Raglia, don’t interfere!”
[Fine!]
With a pained sigh, Serzan gently took my arms in his hands.
Even though I was holding on with all my strength, he easily pried my arms off like peeling away sticky gum.
But I still had my legs.
Even after he freed my arms, I clung to his waist with my legs. He looked down at them and sighed again.
“I can’t understand why you insist on coming with me. Or… is it that you’re afraid? Afraid I might fall into useless sentiment if I meet him?”
Winter Orsheus had always treated me far too gently — almost like he was determined that I should never touch even a drop of water unless I was bathing.
But Serzan wasn’t like that.
His default setting was “rough,” so he would just wait until my legs went numb and I dropped off on my own.
Because of that, an embarrassing sound, like a whistling kettle, escaped my throat.
“…Useless sentiment?”
“Yes. Worrying that some… button inside me might accidentally be pressed again.”
It took me a moment to understand him — partly because all my blood was rushing to my legs, making me a bit slower than usual.
But I got it soon enough.
‘So he thinks I want to go with him because I’m worried he’ll lose his mind again after meeting Agricen?’
The thought made my strength falter, but I forced myself to hold on, even using the energy from my voice to keep gripping him.
“What’s under that tower is a mirror reflecting the lowest point of my life. What it shows is nothing like the “hero” you always talk about.”
“……”
“Your silence means I guessed right.”
No, I’m just about to fall.
If I let go now, he’ll dash off without me.
A crazy idea flashed in my head.
I suddenly relaxed my entire body.
“Tia?”
I let go with my legs and pulled my hands free as well.
We were high up in a tree — if I did this here, what do you think would happen?
I’d fall.
And probably die… unless someone caught me midair.
“Izana!”
The wind brushed past me, cool and fresh. For a moment, I thought I could fall a little longer — it felt that nice.
But then I hit a solid, cold embrace that carried a faint chill. I immediately clung to him again.
“Since leaving Rohia Castle, I’ve never worried about that. I’ve never feared you’d become like that again.”
This was Serzan’s own obsession.
He thought I would doubt or fear his true nature, but really, it was him who feared himself.
‘He believes he can never go back. That he’s already fallen and can never be a hero again.’
“Are you insane?”
I looked up to see his piercing blue eyes, filled with anger.
“Not insane — I just trust you completely. I fell with the same mindset as riding an amusement park ride.”
“You call that trust?”
“Serzan, remember the first time I rode on your back? I was terrified of heights. Now I can’t even remember what that fear felt like. That’s how much I trust you — that no matter what happens, you won’t let me die.”
I even saw something positive in his self-destructive nature.
It meant that deep down, he was still the hero I knew.
“The reason I want to come with you is simple — meeting someone like Agricen can’t possibly feel good for you. And you know the saying: joy shared is doubled, sadness shared is halved.”
And besides, sending him to that tomb-like tower alone just felt… ominous.
I simply wanted to go with him.
To see with my own eyes that he would come out of that tower safe and whole.
After a long silence, Serzan shifted his grip on me.
“Sadness, when shared, only doubles. But I can’t let you believe my sadness is buried under that tower. I’ll show you it’s nothing but scraps.”
I nodded firmly and looked up at the tower.
Its purple glow felt unsettling… but thinking of going with Serzan made the unease fade.
I touched the wooden practice sword at my waist — and felt confidence rise.
***
Sneaking into the Magic Tower
It was surprisingly easy.
We walked right in under the pretense of applying to be apprentice mages assisting official ones with small chores.
The Magic Tower was always short on apprentices.
Becoming a mage had two paths: graduate from the Magic Academy or start as an apprentice. The latter was usually chosen by poor commoners — but because their lives were unstable, many couldn’t finish the apprenticeship.
So the tower accepted new apprentices at any time.
“You want to be Lady Ashella’s apprentice?”
The receptionist, adjusting her red glasses, looked at us in surprise.
“Why?”
“Do we need a special reason?” Serzan replied.
She froze for a moment, then shook her head vigorously.
“No, of course not. Both of you want Lady Ashella? Great! Don’t you dare change your mind. In ten minutes, you’ll officially be apprentices. Got it?”
She scrambled to organize her desk, grabbed some papers, and stood.
“Wait here, I’ll go get Lady Ashella. It might take a little longer than ten minutes, but who cares? You’ll get exactly what you want. Just sit tight, and congratulations in advance. There are snacks and drinks in the back — help yourselves.”
She opened a small door behind the desk.
A steep staircase led upward, and she quickly disappeared from sight.
Click.
The sound of a lock.
At the same time, Serzan stood and examined the doorknob. Below it was a gauge-like dial — he turned it from red to blue.
“Here.”
Knowing what he meant, I pulled out the relic of Igrio from around my neck and handed it to him.
His brows narrowed slightly as he took it and unlocked the door.
When the receptionist opened it, there were white stairs.
Now, beyond the door, there was only pitch-black darkness that swallowed even the smallest glimmer of light.
