Gezell’s quarters in the Molbessa Imperial Palace were guarded by knights even when the owner briefly left. However, Gezell didn’t enter through the main entrance. It wasn’t the time yet to announce his return widely. In the middle of the empty bedroom, he suddenly revealed his appearance, returning to his usual form, but traces of the transformation were scattered around. It would take some time before he directly revealed himself to people.
As evening approached, the western sky outside the window was dyed with the colors of sunset. The bedroom was becoming quite dark, but to avoid showing any sign of a person, Gezell deliberately didn’t light the lanterns.
Rensley, who had been eager to see more of the sea, had fallen asleep, lying on Gezell’s back without realizing when Gezell had returned to the palace using teleportation magic.
Gezell carried the slumbering Rensley and walked toward the bed. It wasn’t an easy feat to fall asleep while flying in the sky. Gezell wanted to ask so many things and, above all, wanted to embrace and kiss his fiancé, whom he had finally recovered.
But he didn’t want to wake him from his well-deserved rest. Gezell gently laid Rensley on the spacious and soft bed, bent down, and faced him with a lowered head.
Even though their reunion happened during the day, now Gezell could examine him more closely. The face, usually bright like the sun when awake and clear like the stars when asleep, looked noticeably pale. The area under his eyes was dark, and the complexion had a faint bluish tint, making him resemble a quiet moon. Feathers, seemingly brushed against his face, were scattered across his cheek, large and small.
Although Gezell would inspect the wounds more thoroughly later, he wanted to treat the visible injuries before leaving again. Gezell reached over his cheek, careful not to scratch his face with the still-present threatening talons from when he was a monster. He had been intending to recite a spell while carefully avoiding any mishaps.
Whether awakened by the movement or not, Rensley opened his eyes and looked at Gezell. Usually, he would be the first to send a smile whenever he woke up to Gezell. It wouldn’t have been strange for Gezell to pull him close and share a kiss, especially now that they had finally met again.
However, this time, Rensley said nothing upon opening his eyes. The light had not fully returned to his pupils, and there was a fleeting tension and fear in his gaze, like a prey animal anticipating a predator, unnoticed by Gezell.
As if unconsciously, Rensley shrugged his shoulders and held his breath, looking tense for a few seconds before sighing lightly.
“Your Grace, I apologize.”
“I was surprised seeing your scared appearance after a long time.”
“No… Your Grace, it’s really not like that. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize when you’ve done nothing wrong. It’s understandable since it’s not a common sight.”
Instead of brightening the room with a lantern, Gezell created a small light by reciting a short spell. The light hovered above Rensley’s head, illuminating his face.
Examining more closely, aside from the fresh scratches on his cheeks, there were additional minor wounds. There was a nearly healed scab near his lips.
Seeing Gezell frown unconsciously, Rensley gave a bitter smile and reached out to lightly touch Gezell’s cheek. Although they had set up a barrier and were whispering as if worried someone might hear them from outside, they huddled close together.
“Did they do this to you?”
“Just Felix. He said a few slaps were nothing when he couldn’t win against my anger. I told you before, he was always a troublemaker. He claimed to have changed, but it was all a lie.”
“What else did he do? Even if time is pressing, I need to know.”
“They said I have the talent of an Elementalist. Did Your Grace also know about it?”
Gezell looked into Rensley’s eyes and nodded.
“I found out while searching for you.”
“I received training in summoning while trapped in the tower. It was challenging. Other than that, they didn’t intentionally harm me.”
“The path to becoming an Elementalist is known to be arduous and harsh. There are records of people unable to endure the pain, choosing suicide. To do such a thing to you…”
“But they must have had plans to use me too. They didn’t push me to the point of self-harm or madness. Your Grace, there’s a young mage under Felix’s command named Amin. You’ll easily recognize him by his red eyes. If you have the power, please help him stay out of this situation. He’s being manipulated by Felix, and he doesn’t know much, having been taken advantage of since a young age.”
Gezell’s brows furrowed even more.
“He’s the mastermind who constructed the extradimensional space to abduct you. Instead of punishing him, you’re asking for my assistance.”
“He truly doesn’t know. We can’t treat him the same way as Felix. He’s said to be a descendant of a family exterminated by the previous king. From what I’ve heard, his life has been pitifully twisted.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Rensley smiled slightly. The eyes, which had a momentary pause of fear and confusion, were now filled with their usual vitality, sparkling even under the dim light.
“Besides, thanks to the hardships, I feel like I’ve gained some understanding of my abilities. If I become a truly useful Elementalist, wouldn’t I be able to help Your Grace?”
“You don’t need to endure pain to help me.”
As Rensley’s expression brightened, Gezell’s eyes darkened. The partially closed eyelids created shadows over the still golden eyes that hadn’t completely lost their radiance.
“I’m sorry. If I hadn’t acted recklessly from the beginning and had been more cautious, such an incident might not have occurred. I, the Grand Duchess of Aldrant and your partner, thought too lightly, believing that you, Your Grace, shouldn’t bother with troubles caused by that scoundrel.”
“Your Grace, please. See, I’m still healthy as you can see. The reason I didn’t give up on myself while trapped there was because I believed Your Grace would come to rescue me from the destined misfortune.”
Gezell didn’t refuse the hand pulling him in. The two, lying side by side on the bed, looked at each other closely. Under the dim light, they stared into each other’s eyes for a while, observing the ordinary twinkling beneath the long eyelashes—eyes that momentarily disappeared and reappeared. The one who broke the silence was Rensley.
“If not, I would have been a slave-like follower, doing whatever those guys told me to do, just like a slave. If I had done that, I might have suffered even more. As the wolf of the forest had predicted, this incident happened to me. You, Your Grace, are the hero who saved me from the predestined misfortune.”
“…Interpreting as you wish.”
“How about that? Do you like my interpretation?”
A faint bitter smile crossed Gezell’s face. Even without hearing the answer, it was as good as heard. Rensley, with his cheek against Gezell’s, confirmed the most curious thing.
“How much time exactly has passed outside?”
“I need to check accurately, but… it could be a week at most.”
There was a moment of stillness. Rensley blinked his eyes several times before asking again.
“Just a moment. A week?”
“Yes.”
“I thought several months had passed inside…”
Rensley sighed heavily and covered his forehead.
“Hah, that fraud…! He told me it had been over half a year outside. I heard those words a few days after being captured, so I thought several years had passed without me knowing.”
“You experienced time differently in another world, so it’s understandable that you believed him.”
“That’s why Felix behaved so leisurely. Even if I had undergone years of training inside, he had enough time to spare.”
“Utilizing the distortion of spacetime is not within the realm permitted to humans. Your compassion is beautiful, but even if I don’t intervene, that mage won’t be able to escape the consequences.”
“Is that so… Then Felix really intended to exploit him.”
Feeling somewhat empty, Rensley wiped his face with his dry hand. After sleeping for a long time in the Wolf’s Forest, he woke up to find that several weeks had passed outside. Why hadn’t he considered the possibility of the opposite case?
If so, Felix had cleverly tormented him in just a week. Whether to describe it as cunning or having a bad personality.
“Sir Maelrosen, the job isn’t finished yet, so I need to step out for a moment. The Emperor will decide how to deal with the remnants, but we need evidence too. I’ve already cast a barrier in this room, and all the guards will be sent here. It’s unsettling to leave you behind, but… I’ll be back soon, so please wait a bit.”
“Yes, don’t worry. Even if they target me again, I won’t fall for it this time. I won’t take a single step outside until Your Grace returns.”
The two stared at each other for a moment before getting their faces closer. Although the sharp fangs that had grown hadn’t yet receded enough for a proper kiss, their lips touched belatedly.
Rensley’s usually smooth lips felt a bit chapped and dry. Instead of a deep kiss, they gently touched lips several times, confirming each other’s return to their respective sides.
“Umm…”
The exhausted body that had been restless with all senses in the tower for a long time had become more fragile. Just the touch of the lips made Rensley’s fever rise, and he had to control his quickening breath.
Before they knew it, their hands were exploring each other’s heads and faces. Several times. With Rensley’s face blushing slightly, he swallowed the rising sigh and opened his eyes.
“…I’m in a bit of a hurry, so you really need to come back quickly.”
“Do you have that energy left?”
“Of course. Did you think I’d lie down as if I were weak enough to just lie down after being trapped for a few days?”
Gezell smiled and kissed Rensley on the forehead.
Now that the topic had come up, there was something that bothered him. Rensley, after once again giving his lips to him, hesitated before asking.
“The wolves… What happened to the wolves?”
Although Gezell and Rensley, with the appearance of the golden bracelet, could understand each other’s thoughts, it was not limitless. Without sharing the story, they could only glean information or memories in scattered fragments. Gezell would be in a similar situation.
“With my power alone, I couldn’t enter the extradimensional space. I went to seek help. It probably collapsed when I escaped a while ago, so by now, the job should be done…”
Gezell rose and went halfway through the dark bedroom. A sparkling silver magic circle appeared as he chanted a spell, tracing its orbit and disappearing along the path. When all traces of the magic circle vanished, a strange woman was standing there. Rensley, who was taken aback, quickly got up from the bed.
“Who are you…?”
Even in the darkness, the platinum-blonde hair, the outfit draped in a similar color all over, and the face that exuded a mysterious atmosphere with elegance and arrogance were visible. Rensley quickly straightened his disheveled clothes and stood by Gezell, and the woman, smiling, looked at Rensley.
[Long time no see, adorable one.]
“Haha! Thank you for the compliment. Have we met before? If so, I wouldn’t forget it.”
The woman only smiled gently, and Gezell didn’t leave them alone but continued the conversation. He gently placed his hand on Rensley’s shoulder and spoke.
“It’s the wolf.”
“Yes… what!?”
Rensley, almost raising his voice unintentionally, covered his mouth with his hand. The wolf approached a few steps. Looking up at Gezell instead of Rensley, the wolf chuckled while stroking her chin with her fingers.
[When considering it so desperately, wondering about my thoughts only after achieving your goal?]
“We haven’t been here for long.”
[I thought about returning as it was but wanted to see the child. Have you been well?]
Still flustered, Rensley hastily nodded his head.
“Ah, yes… It’s been a while, Lord of the Forest. Nice to see you again. I’m really grateful for your help before.”
[You look like a mess. But well, you’ll quickly recover.]
The wolf, who had been smiling at Rensley, turned his head towards Gezell.
[You’re planning to chase after them again, aren’t you?]
“Yes. I plan to leave immediately to capture the witnesses and hand them over to the Emperor.”
[In that case, I’ll watch over the child in the meantime. Even though you’ve put up a strong barrier… Still, you never know. Since I’m doing it, I want to make sure until the end.]
“Really? If Your Majesty is with us, I’ll feel relieved as well.”
Although Rensley seemed eager, Gezell didn’t immediately respond. He looked at Rensley with a suspicious gaze.
“If the wolf suggests going together, are you really okay to follow her right away? You said you wouldn’t take a single step outside until I returned. Do you swear on your honor?”
“Yes? I already mentioned that I won’t go anywhere. I swear on my honor. Don’t worry.”
The wolf, frowning, moved a few steps and sat on a luxurious chair.
[If I wanted, I could defeat you and not let you take this child. I didn’t catch him before just because you disliked it. It’s been a long time since I felt the feeling of lowering myself among humans. Both of you are no different from newborns in my eyes. Get rid of the absurd idea that I’ll go so far as to deceive you.]
“That’s right, Your Majesty. She came to help us.”
As Rensley whispered in his ear, Gezell still looked somewhat dubious. However, he nodded with an expression that acknowledged, at this moment, that the wolf was the most reliable ally.
“It won’t take long. I’ll be back before dawn, so please wait a little.”
“Understood.”
Gezell turned his body toward the wolf, offering a polite greeting.
“Lord of the Otherworld, thank you for your kindness. I’ll leave this place in your care for a moment.”
[I can’t trust your thanks anymore.]
Without batting an eye at the wolf’s blunt response, Gezell began to chant a spell. For a moment, a large magic circle appeared, and within it, Gezell disappeared.
Knowing he would return soon, the feeling of emptiness crept in as soon as he was alone. Rensley walked towards the window. Where could he have gone? Perhaps he had moved somewhere else or transformed into a bird to soar in the sky. Letting out a small sigh, a question came from behind.
[Are you worried?]
“…No, Your Majesty, you are more than capable on your own. If you thought you lacked strength, you wouldn’t have ventured out alone.”
Rensley looked at the wolf and smiled weakly. “Even this time, if I hadn’t been caught like a fool, Your Majesty wouldn’t have had to suffer.”
[Arrogant as he is, he knows how to humble himself when needed. Quite remarkable for a human.]
“The ones who captured me mentioned that I have unique abilities too.”
As they both sat back on the bed, the wolf looked at Rensley with an expression that suggested she already knew the story. She nodded briefly.
[Yes. That’s why I advised you to go back with me. You’ll only suffer if you return, so don’t leave to the human realm. Stay with me.]
“It was tough as you said, but I’m still happy. If I have such abilities, I can be of help in the human world, and in the eyes of others, I won’t seem too foolish… Well, maybe you, living in the forest, might not know, but that’s how people are. Your Majesty might not care, but others will wonder why such a person like me was placed in a high position. Then people will surely find a way to mock him because of me. I can’t help being a laughingstock, but I don’t want His Grace to be ridiculed because of me.”
[Why wouldn’t they know? Do you think I wouldn’t know what’s going on in the minds of humans? You should worry more about that arrogant guy potentially hurting you than about whether they’ll mock you. You still don’t know how blindly devoted he can be.]
“To be truthful… His Grace is indeed a merciful ruler. Even to a sinner, he wouldn’t easily impose such a cruel punishment.”
The wolf silently approached Rensley, coming close. Pushed by her touch, Rensley lay down on the bed.
[Rest now. After a sigh, everything will likely be finished.]
“…Did you say something to His Majesty?”
The wolf just smiled without answering. By now, a day had passed into night, and a large moon hung outside the window.
