Chapter 175: Yuma (2) |
At the training grounds of Dawn Castle.
For a moment, there was the sound of crunching in the snow. At its center, a young man had plopped down.
Shiron Prient. Having just begun to feel and learn mana, he took a deep breath to calm his excited heart.
“It’s possible.”
From what was commonly called the core, through the heart, and up to the head, the flow. It spread throughout the body in countless branches, as if scattering.
It was a strange sensation.
Could this be what it felt like for blood to flow through veins? He vaguely wondered but ultimately did not understand.
That’s understandable, considering it’s a sensation he hadn’t known for nearly 20 years. Just as a person born without legs couldn’t walk smoothly even if they suddenly grew legs, it was highly likely he couldn’t even feel the pain of a needle prick.
Fortunately, Shiron had used magic before. Though Demodras had guided the mana, succeeding on the first try meant he wasn’t completely talentless.
The sense of accomplishment when achieving something could rival the pleasure of drug intoxication. Shiron knew all too well that humans are weak beings. Thus, even as he ran towards his goals, he couldn’t give up on those rare joys.
Moreover, even if producing a mere flame from his hand was his limit, there’s a big difference between what one could do and what one chose not to use. After all, wasn’t the original Shiron also capable of using magic?
What exactly he did, Shiron wasn’t sure, but he thought there couldn’t have been a better method than a dragon’s heart, and focused on his inner flow.
“Don’t be too impatient. Getting used to the unfamiliar sensation comes first.”
“I wasn’t impatient.”
“It doesn’t show on your face, but it definitely leaks out of your emotions. That’s why I said it. And don’t respond, just listen. Doesn’t it disrupt your concentration?”
“Then don’t talk.”
“Are you planning to use magic only in a secluded room? If you’re bearing the warrior’s duty, you’ll have to use magic on battlefields without a moment’s notice. Think of this as part of your training too.”
“Stop talking, will you?”
Shiron yelled at Demodras and closed his eyes again.
Honestly, there was nothing wrong with what he said, but it didn’t feel entirely fair either.
It’s been a week since the heart transplant.
Demodras claimed ownership of the heart and insisted on guiding him personally with a resonant bass.
Solid fundamentals were essential for great success.
Instead of chanting, he should practice feeling mana and transforming it with his will, and so on. Even if some of his persuasive words made sense, sometimes he made unreasonable demands like earlier.
Telling someone not to think of an elephant only made them think of it. How could one control emotions as desired? Instead, he distracted him.
As he concentrated further, instead of feeling stifled, a refreshing feeling began to emerge.
Should he say a wall that wouldn’t break was now collapsing entirely? Or that the fog cleared to reveal a vast landscape… The blood vessels throughout his body began to form a clear image in his mind.
Demodras noticed the change, narrowing his vertically slit pupils. The mana randomly flowing around Shiron began to follow an orderly flow.
“Congratulations. You’ve now reached the realm of a 1-star magician.”
Demodras expressed his joy by moving his huge tail back and forth. Latera, who used to cheer at every achievement, showed no reaction.
After coming to Dawn Castle, not only had Latera become a spirit, but she also stopped responding. However, Shiron wasn’t worried.
He had worried a lot at first, thinking she might have lost her mind to the dense magical energy, but every night when he went for a walk outside the castle, Latera remembered everything that happened during the day.
She must be happy, even if she didn’t show it. Imagining how happy she would be during the planned walk at dawn, Shiron couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Are you that happy?”
Demodras, interpreting his reaction, propped his chin with his large paw and bared his formidable teeth.
“But don’t be too content with just that level of achievement. It’s important to find joy in small achievements for motivation, but magicians are those who are never satisfied with the present
and always strive for the ultimate in magic. You should too…”
“That’s not it. And among the magicians I know, none are like that.”
“That’s strange. The magicians I’ve met were all like that.”
“Birds of a feather flock together. If they’ve met a dragon in their lifetime… They must be at least beyond 8-star, ancient beings, right?”
Hearing Shiron’s words, Demodras rumbled with an old memory.
“Indeed, many of the humans I met did smell of musty old men.”
“See.”
“But even so, I wish for you to become a great wizard. It would be disgraceful if the one who received my heart was only shooting small fireballs.”
“If possible, I hope for rapid progress.”
“Then let’s move on to the next step without rest.”
Demodras smiled encouragingly, and Shiron, without much resistance, followed his lead.
“…”
Though there was a bit of bickering, universally, their relationship seemed that of a close mentor and disciple.
An unusual relationship.
The guardians of Dawn Castle mostly harbored such thoughts. The sight of the young lord, visiting the castle after a long while and feeling achievements while learning magic, became a good spectacle that alleviated the boredom of the maids of Dawn Castle.
Yuma also couldn’t take her eyes off from the window of her office.
However, she wasn’t merely watching Shiron and the disagreeable dragon out of boredom. Yuma gnawed on her fingernails, half her eyes open.
“Demodras. Scolding the young lord again…”
Yuma clenched her eyes shut, feeling a rush of heat down her back.
“I warned him that the young lord is a sensitive person.”
Though pretending to be strong, the young lord has many scars in his heart. Yuma worried that Shiron might get hurt by any carelessly thrown words.
The death of Irina Prient came sooner than expected.
Due to growing up in an environment where he lost his mother at a young age and his father rarely came home, Shiron couldn’t help but grow up in a setting where he wasn’t properly loved.
Because such a thing hadn’t happened in the past 500 years, Yuma’s sympathy for Shiron grew even more.
But that lizard had to say something infuriating again. Watching Demodras and Shiron for days, she had several times asked him to teach with a mother’s heart and praise, but that arrogant lizard seemed not to listen to Yuma at all.
Not to mention a mother’s heart, praise was given just once a week.
Yuma mulled over the regrettable situation.
“If only I were in that position…”
But it was an irreversible situation. It would be foolish for Yuma to interfere with Demodras’s methods now that Shiron had shown progress, not to mention yesterday. Yuma swallowed her regret and tried to focus on the work she had to handle today.
When she finally took her mind off the two and closed the curtain,
She felt a gaze.
“…”
Yuma turned her body towards the feeling coming from behind.
“…You’ve become quite lax while away from the castle. Shouldn’t you knock before entering?”
“I did knock. You just didn’t hear it, Yuma.”
Feeling awkward at the retort to her scolding, Yuma coughed vainly.
“What brings you here?”
“Oh dear. It’s natural for me to come out of boredom, isn’t it?”
Encia pouted her lips then chuckled.
“After all, I’m no longer a guardian of Dawn Castle. My previous duties are now carried out by another child. So, I came looking for someone to talk to.”
“…Then you should have looked for Ophilia.”
“I thought about that, but coming here seemed more fun. And as I expected, I saw something even more interesting.”
Encia, with a playful smile full of mischief, approached Yuma closely.
“If you’re so concerned, why don’t you teach him yourself?”
“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“Aren’t you just jealous of that dragon?”
“…Surely not.”
“Even if not jealous, it seems you do envy him.”
“That’s…”
Yuma turned her head away, not responding to Encia’s penetrating gaze.
‘Young lord, I can teach you magic too.’
‘If you’re having trouble, why not learn from me, young lord?’
‘Well done. As expected of the young lord!’
…Wanting to say such things and looking for the opportunity every day, Yuma couldn’t deny it and had to admit her feelings.
“You did envy him.”
“That’s…”
Silence was as good as an admission. Encia’s face was adorned with a mischievous smile, and Yuma wore an expression of difficulty. Yet, even as she acknowledged her exposed feelings, Yuma couldn’t give a positive response to the initial question.
“Even so, I cannot do as you suggest.”
“Why? You’re a master of magic, aren’t you?”
“Thank you for the compliment, but Demodras is a superior magician to me. Surely, the young lord would achieve more from him than from learning with me.”
“But it’s just the beginning steps, right? Unless you’re aiming for a high realm, I don’t see much issue.”
Encia frowned as if hearing an unconvincing excuse. After a moment, the blonde demon seemed to have a bright idea, clapping her hands with a bright smile.
“Then, how about this?”
“…What are you suggesting?”
“Well, if you want to enjoy the pleasure of teaching and being a mentor to the young lord, it doesn’t have to be magic. There are other things, right?”
“I don’t quite follow…”
“Oh, come on! Like this, you know!”
Encia formed a circle with her thumb and index finger, then moved her other hand back and forth through it, performing an embarrassingly vulgar gesture.
Being a demon who had lived for hundreds of years, Yuma understood what that crude and lewd gesture meant.
“Encia, he is the young lord.”
But she was a demon from an ancient time who secluded herself in a remote countryside for 500 years.
Having no resistance to vulgar banter, Yuma could only think that Encia was merely jesting with her, who seemed too old-fashioned in comparison.
However, it seemed Encia had a different intention.
“I know. But why?”
“Don’t you understand? I knew you enjoyed jokes, but still, you should be selective about your audience.”
“…Sure, sure. After all, he is a Prient.”
“Encia. Don’t take this lightly…”
“Yes, yes, I get it.”
With her lips puckered, Encia cut off Yuma’s words and quickly left the office.
“Sigh…”
Yuma sighed at Encia’s attitude, which barely maintained formal politeness.
Though she verbally agreed, her actions treated Yuma as outdated to the point even a fool could see.
‘There was never such an issue before.’
Perhaps it was because the contract they had for so long was terminated, Encia was no longer subservient to Yuma.
However, that didn’t mean Yuma could just drag Encia back and scold her. Encia’s master is the young lord, someone irreplaceable to Yuma.
The young lord was the first Prient to promise freedom to her, despite being human.
‘What kind of life is she leading outside…’
But as an old colleague, Yuma worried about Encia.
No, to be honest, she was worried about the young lord.
Seeing that Encia often indulged in such vulgar speech, it wasn’t hard to imagine she had made several passes at the young lord over the past decade.
‘The young lord might already have been involved with Encia… No, considering the talk of education, the young lord might still be lacking in that regard at the castle…’
She was troubled, anxiously troubled to the point of madness. Her mind was filled with utterly useless thoughts of revenge against the devil like never before.
And then…
“…?”
The sudden change in scenery startled Yuma while she was lost in her thoughts.
The library of Dawn Castle.
“Ah…”
Unknowingly, she had strayed from her intended path. The destination she was supposed to visit was now far behind…
The study?
‘Why is this happening?’
Faced with this unusual and indisputably strange occurrence, Yuma stepped into the library with a worried expression. She didn’t know why, but looking back, perhaps the friction with Encia had driven her to seek a place to cool her head.
‘…Reading books calms the mind.’
With a heavy heart, Yuma wandered between the shelves filled with old books.
At that moment…
…
Among thousands and thousands of books, one title peculiarly caught Yuma’s attention.
[Suddenly, My Stepmother Starts Being Nice]
…gulp.
As if bewitched, Yuma, with trembling hands, picked up the book.
…
She should not have entered the library.
Yuma later regretted having picked up that inappropriate book.
“Hoo…”
In the steam-filled bathroom, Yuma took a deep breath and scooped up a handful of foam. Then, leisurely, she approached the young lord who was lying back and relaxing.
Shiron, unaware of Yuma’s approach, was engrossed in something even while submerged, fiddling with his hands.
“You’ve worked hard today, young lord.”
Plop-
“Oh, yeah.”
Shiron responded noncommittally. Her hand, clutching the soft white foam, stroked the nape of his neck and circled his shoulders, but he remained unmoved.
“Is your magic practice going well lately?”
“Uh… Yeah. Demodras is teaching me well.”
It was because of magic practice.
So engrossed in the phenomenon of magic, Shiron hardly noticed the seductive woman tending to him during his bath.
He had given up on ever using it in his life, resigned to half-hearted attempts, so experiencing the sensation of wielding transcendent phenomena made Shiron’s heart flutter like a child’s.
Yuma found this sight somewhat poignant yet joyful.
Despite what Encia had said earlier in the day, she was genuinely happy to see Shiron truly enjoying himself.
However,
“Young lord, could you lift your arm?”
“…”
“Young lord.”
“…”
“One arm, please…”
“Oh. Sorry.”
Shiron’s preoccupation with magic somehow didn’t sit well with her.
She wasn’t sure why. He was apologizing and lifting his arm as Yuma requested, but…
“Young lord, do you find magic that fascinating?”
“Yeah. It’s really fun. Maybe because I’m improving quickly? I could do this all day without noticing the time.”
“Is that so? Ah, about Demodras’s dwelling, there’s an empty lot behind Dawn Castle’s mountain. How about we set it up there?”
“Do as you see fit.”
Yuma thought… Shiron was being dismissive again.
“Yuma, you’re more knowledgeable than I am. I don’t know the geography here, nor where a dragon prefers to nest and sleep.”
His added words contained consideration, so it certainly wasn’t a dismissive response.
However, a corner of Yuma’s heart started to ache and feel cold.
‘What is this feeling?’
“Sigh…”
Disturbed by the young lord mixing with the unseemly dragon and looking disheveled, she should be properly attending to him… but her heart ached, and her head heated up with frustration to the point her hand stopped midway in making foam.
She needed to clean his broad shoulders, robust chest, and unblemished skin.
‘Gasp!’
Yuma involuntarily stepped back, and the soap she held rolled across the bathroom floor.
“Yuma?”
Shiron turned around, wondering what was wrong. There stood Yuma, her face slightly flushed, clutching the hem of her skirt.
“Yuma. Are you okay?”
Shiron paused his magic practice and stood up from the bath. Gulp- Yuma’s eyes trembled more violently, and her face reddened further.
“No, it’s nothing!”
Yuma quickly averted her gaze and picked up the soap.
‘When did the young lord… grow up like this?’
Her comment about growth wasn’t frivolous. Seeing the proud appearance of the young lord after a long time was a shock. The last time she saw him was at his coming-of-age ceremony, and since then, the young lord had grown in various ways.
Arms. Legs. Waist became thicker. Calluses had developed on his hands, and an overall robustness enveloped him. And even the groin area…
“No!”
Yuma shook her head fiercely, trying to erase the image she had glimpsed from her mind. But why, the more she tried to forget, the more vividly the shocking image resurfaced. Irreverent thoughts arose as well.
A late remarriage.
A war that broke out not long after.
A spouse quickly lost again.
The loneliness of a lady.
Her comfort in the new stepchild.
Thus, the stepmother’s desire for the young lord.
-You could teach the young lord too, couldn’t you?
Squeak- Squeak-
“…Young lord.”
“Hm?”
“How about learning magic from me?!”
Yuma exclaimed, eyes clenched shut, as she couldn’t keep her gaze from wandering to the young lord’s various parts, fearing she’d lose her mind otherwise.
“Magic? But are you okay? You seem to be in pain.”
“I, I’m fine! Wouldn’t you like to learn magic?!”
“Yuma.”
Clack- Shiron, with his hand still wet, wrapped his arm around Yuma’s shoulder. What’s this? Yuma stiffened at the sudden thrill she felt.
“Yes, yes?”
“I think you should leave for today.”
Shiron patted her shoulder as if genuinely concerned. Only then did Yuma snap back to her senses.
‘What did I just say?’
“I can’t do that. I haven’t finished attending to your bath…”
“This is enough washing for now. I can’t ask a sick person to continue attending to me.”
Splash-
Shiron stretched his hand towards the bath, then enveloped himself in water he had drawn up. Thanks to the magic he had recently mastered, he could now perform such feats.
“It seems like you’re not feeling well… Go rest. You don’t need to attend to my meals. I’ll manage something by myself.”
Shiron walked past Yuma, taking only a towel with him. Yuma fiddled with her fingers, standing dazed in the bathroom for a long while.
‘He said he doesn’t need attendance?’
Yuma licked her parched lips. Despite the electric shock that ran through her body, a sticky darkness began to loom over her heart.
‘I’m… not needed…’
She clenched her eyes shut. Her eyelids felt hot.
The magic he had just used, in his very capable way of bathing by himself, showed Yuma that there was no need for her assistance.
‘What am I to the young lord…’
What indeed?
She sighed. The breath was not only hot but also rapid.
Jealousy writhed in Yuma’s heart.
That night, there was an unexpected knock on the door.
-Young lord. It’s Yuma.
“Come in.”
Shiron, with his gaze fixed on a magic tome, responded. Only when he sensed the footsteps on the carpet nearing did he look up to meet Yuma’s gaze.
“What’s the matter this late…?”
Before him stood the woman in an unfamiliar attire.
