Chapter 12
“Was it not Young Master Rosoterban who started the provocation first?”
As Noah’s question reached its end, only a cool breeze remained in the air.
The gentle wind tousled their hair, refreshing the awkward silence between them.
Eastern stood silently, facing the breeze.
But only for a moment—he soon opened his mouth.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
His first response was clear denial.
Yet, a soft smile lingered on his lips.
“Provocation? That’s ridiculous, Young Master.”
His flawless, polite smile seemed like a carefully crafted mask.
To any outsider, he would appear breathtakingly beautiful, able to steal hearts at a glance.
But Noah, standing before him, could only gape in disbelief.
“Do you not remember, or are you just pretending?”
[Surprisingly, the Young Master showed no awkwardness while wielding the sword.]
For him to casually mention such a suspicious point to Rosent…
Noah had nearly been exposed, all the things he had worked so hard to hide until now.
Had he let it slide without taking any action, both Rosent and everyone at the Duke’s residence would surely become suspicious of him.
Of course, this was partly Noah’s own fault.
He had handled the sword too comfortably in front of Eastern. He shouldn’t have…
Skill like that simply couldn’t be hidden.
In that moment, Noah had made a serious mistake.
[Just earlier, the Young Master was casting magic on himself, wasn’t he?]
Just as Eastern had pointed out.
But now, that wasn’t the most important issue for Noah.
What truly bothered him was something else entirely.
“You kept making advances.”
Through his gaze, the flow of air, every brush of his hands—everything.
Relentlessly, continuously.
“You were channeling mana to my sister.”
“Mana?”
Eastern asked again with a faint smile.
“If someone heard that, they might misunderstand my profession.”
Ordinary knights were rarely adept at handling mana.
Only Magic Swordsmen or Mages could fully manipulate mana.
Swordmasters, a similar class, only dealt with aura—not mana.
At his words, Noah flinched slightly.
Eastern was right.
His words didn’t make sense.
Even in the future, Eastern had been a Swordmaster with no connection to mana—he even became the Captain of the First Imperial Knights.
Then what exactly had Noah sensed?
It wasn’t like he was imagining things… if it wasn’t mana, then what?
Could it be that Eastern wasn’t even human?
‘Nonsense.’
The man before him had both the appearance and the energy of a human being.
Not human? Impossible.
Had he become overly sensitive after dying once?
Noah tilted his head, considering various possibilities.
And then—
[What are you doing, Eastern!]
A voice whispered into Noah’s ear.
Firm, yet somewhat rough and hoarse.
It was Lucas’ voice.
Before the voice even fully faded, another scene filled Noah’s mind.
Brilliant light splitting the sky, followed by a sharp sound.
A dazzling flash followed naturally.
‘Found it.’
Noah’s closed eyes snapped open, regaining vitality.
Right. Why hadn’t he thought of this sooner?
He had seen it with his own eyes—how the Marquis of Rosoterban had helped Lucas.
The dark fog clouding his mind suddenly cleared.
There was only one Magic Swordsman in the Empire—himself.
That hadn’t changed in the past or the future.
Then how had the Marquis of Rosoterban—who wasn’t a mage—controlled the weather?
Could he, like Noah, manipulate mana? But if so, why hide it?
Being a Magic Swordsman wasn’t a crime.
There could only be one answer.
That day, when the Marquis had controlled the weather, it hadn’t been magic using mana.
It had been—
‘Magia.’
The tainted energy unique to demons.
Noah had read about it once at the Academy, tucked away in the library.
Similar to human mana in many ways, yet fundamentally different—and harmful to the world.
Magia resembled mana, but was overwhelmingly dangerous for humans to endure.
It destroyed intelligence, eroded personality, and was dangerously addictive.
Rumor had it that prolonged exposure to magia would either erase a person’s memories or drive them mad.
If Eastern really possessed such magia—and if what he had been sending to Rosent was indeed magia…
Something began to explode inside Noah’s mind.
But it wasn’t fear or terror.
“Don’t move.”
It was pure rage.
Surrounded by searing heat, Noah pulled something from thin air and held it to Eastern’s neck.
“…”
Eastern froze at the sudden cold sensation.
A blade emerging from nowhere.
“Are you trying to kill me now?”
Eastern let out a small breath, wearing a troubled smile.
But then—
“What were you trying to do to Rosent?”
The energy around Noah flared violently.
The red aura—matching the color of his eyes—surrounded Eastern, forcing him back a step.
Noah broke free from Eastern’s grasp in an instant.
Sheathing the blade, Noah unleashed the red energy in waves of pressure toward Eastern.
His control over mana was not just skilled—it was flawless.
“…”
Eastern, taken aback by the unexpected reaction, quietly raised both hands.
A gesture of surrender.
He squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled.
But then—
“…Was that really what you were curious about?”
When he opened his eyes again, a beautiful curve accompanied his gaze.
In a situation where his life was threatened, Eastern asked in the softest tone.
Oddly enough, it only made the situation feel more surreal.
Noah instinctively took a step back.
An automatic reaction.
Eastern watched and let out a breath tinged with laughter.
A sigh full of disappointment, as though he had just missed out on something big.
‘Ah…’
Then he murmured to himself.
“…Too bad.”
“What?”
At Eastern’s barely audible whisper, Noah frowned.
Eastern finally answered.
“Are you going to tell the Lady about this?”
“Do you need an answer?”
Now that Rosent was under threat, there was no way Noah would leave him be.
Had he not lacked mana, he would have taken care of this himself like before.
Noah clicked his tongue, mixing frustration with regret.
Eastern then placed his empty hand on his sword hilt and bowed slightly.
“In that case… I suppose I only have one answer left.”
At the same time—
Whoosh!
Eastern swiftly drew his sword and sliced through the air.
More precisely—through Noah’s surrounding aura.
Directly at Noah’s mana.
The red energy was cut, shattered, and turned into fragments.
The sight of the broken mana scattering was like a rain of gemstones.
Caught off-guard, Noah quickly retreated, raising his guard.
But he couldn’t hold it for long.
“Ugh…”
Noah’s vision blurred rapidly.
Apparently, Eastern’s strike had affected something within him.
Noah groaned softly and fell to his knees.
He had been caught off-guard.
A mistake he hadn’t made since his days as a student at the Academy…
His senses drifted further from reality.
There was little this young body could do against such a sudden attack.
His center of gravity tilted forward, and resistance faded.
Noah bit his lip hard, clinging to consciousness.
At that moment, the only emotion remaining wasn’t anger or frustration.
It was pure concern—for Rosent.
But even that was short-lived.
“…”
The welcoming darkness robbed him of any remaining focus.
Damn it… a clean defeat.
* * *
At Noah’s request, I had returned to the garden to fetch the tea.
I glanced around.
Contrary to my expectation of a quick return, I ended up staying longer than planned.
I thought it had been near the table… where had it gone?
Maybe I should go back and ask Noah.
But now that Eastern had taken Noah elsewhere, I wasn’t even sure I’d run into them.
I anxiously chewed my lip and stomped my feet.
Could the wind have blown it away?
Or… did Noah lie to me?
“No way.”
That couldn’t be it.
But then—
“Lady.”
A gentle yet strangely sharp voice reached my ears.
Huh? This voice…
“Young Master Rosoterban.”
It was Eastern.
As if under a spell, I lifted my gaze to look at him.
Eastern approached with a kind smile.
But Noah—who he had taken away—was nowhere to be seen.
“…Young Master, where is Noah? Didn’t you say you’d escort him back?”
Flustered, I moved closer and asked, closing the gap between us to barely a hand’s breadth.
Eastern exhaled softly and answered.
“I ran into a maid midway. She said she’d take him to the physician instead. I believe her name was…”
“Annie?”
“Ah… yes, I think that was it.”
‘Think that was it?’ Why say it like that? It made me uneasy.
I forced an awkward smile and asked again.
“So, I guess you’ll be returning to the Rosoterban estate now?”
Noah was hurt, the tea time was ruined—Eastern had no reason to stay here anymore.
Perhaps knowing this truth himself, he answered with a small sigh.
“It’s a bit disappointing. I didn’t expect our first meeting to end so soon.”
It wasn’t our first meeting though… He really must think I’ve lost my memory.
I awkwardly shrugged my innocent shoulders.
And then—
“…Ah.”
A strong gust of wind suddenly swept between us.
Blowing through my long hair, obscuring my vision.
I tried to smooth it with my hands, but my thick hair wouldn’t settle easily.
At the same time—
Rustle…
A careful hand brushed against my cheek.
It felt like a feather lightly sweeping aside stray hairs.
Was Eastern helping me?
“Thank you, Young Master.”
How kind.
I smiled softly and brushed the remaining hair myself.
Was this what they meant when they said Honey’s young uncle was good at taking care of others?
Though honestly, his touch was almost too delicate—it tickled.
“…”
The situation naturally led to silence.
Ugh, nothing’s more awkward than a pause with someone you’re not close to.
Maybe I should say something—anything.
Something fitting for our relationship… Maybe this?
“Oh, right. I heard from my father. You were offered the position as the Crown Prince’s tutor.”
It happened in the novel too.
“May I ask why you turned that down and chose to mentor Noah instead?”
“…”
“If it’s a question you’d rather not answer, that’s fine.”
Unlike my casual tone, Eastern’s hand froze at that moment.
His pale blue-grey eyes locked intensely onto me.
Our colors began to clash.
That serene blue-grey now looked startlingly vivid.
‘Uh oh.’
Had I relaxed too much? At this rate, just like before…
I instinctively clutched my chest.
But strangely, unlike the past, I felt no unsettling excitement.
If anything, my heartbeat was unusually calm.
And then—
“…!”
His hand that had been gently brushing my hair suddenly changed direction.
A warm palm cradled my right cheek.
The skin-to-skin contact radiated heat, silently pleading for relief.
The world around me stopped. The warmth on my cheek was the only thing that felt real.
In that moment, Eastern whispered gently.
“Because it’s no longer necessary.”
A whisper that sounded both refreshing and somehow full of longing.
“There’s no need for that anymore.”
And for some reason—or maybe it was my imagination—that fleeting touch made my cheek ache faintly.
What a strange feeling.
