What’s going on?
I thought Cesare would throw a fit as soon as he saw me, but unexpectedly, he was calm. I thought it was because he was in front of Lampel, but even after Lampel left, he didn’t get angry or even irritated once and calmly listened to my plan.
“So to summarize, like what we did during the day, you go in first to draw attention, then I support you to drive the magical beasts in, right?”
“Huh? Yeah. Yeah. That’s it.”
“…Okay. That way it’ll end faster. But do you know why those things only react to you?”
“Mmm. Probably because I’m cool and cute?”
Wink.
I tried hard to change the atmosphere, but Cesare just silently looked at the campfire.
Did he eat something wrong? Is he sleepy? Wondering if this wasn’t Cesare but someone else, I looked closely at his profile, but there couldn’t be two faces like that under the sky.
‘Hmm. If I add Mitche and Lampel, there are three of that face though?’
Anyway, cautious about the changed atmosphere from the daytime, I asked carefully.
“Um, Cesare. Aren’t you angry?”
“…The situation is so absurd right now that I forgot why I should be angry.”
Oh. At the oddly convincing answer, I nodded repeatedly. And we continued to be silent. I had thought of plenty of things to say on the way here, but it was useless because Cesare agreed too quickly.
“Dinner?”
When Cesare asked, I answered with a slight smile.
“Before coming, His Grace gave me a stamina potion.”
“It must have tasted disgusting.”
“Ugh. It did.”
The potion Lampel gave me on the way here really tasted terrible. If it weren’t for the feeling of muscles relaxing and fullness building up, I would have thought Lampel was trying to poison me—it tasted that bad.
“Everything our father makes is like that.”
“I guess His Grace isn’t good at cooking since he’s a duke.”
“If you can even call that cooking.”
Feeling the awkwardness slightly relieved by talk of Lampel, I fidgeted with the edge of the blanket when Cesare first picked up a long tree branch.
“What are you doing?”
Cesare drew a small, crude person in the dirt with the stick. He put a dot below the eyes.
“This is you.”
“This is? Pfft.”
Cesare might be perfect in every way, but he really couldn’t draw.
When the awkwardly sitting me burst out laughing, Cesare also chuckled and drew something more with the stick. What looked like birds must be the Mad Crows. The Mad Crows and the tiny me were no match.
“These guys will target you. Aren’t you scared?”
“…I’m scared.”
“Then say right now that you’ll quit immediately.”
He looked at me intently and said. His gaze burdensome, I shifted my eyes to the campfire in front.
“…I can’t.”
“Why?”
Hmm. There were many reasons I hastily made up to persuade Lampel earlier, but I liked this reason best after all.
“If you go alone as bait, it’ll be scary.”
“Ha. Do you think I’m scared?”
“When I was about to be eaten by the Mad Crow earlier, I felt it. Destructive lumps of mana that weren’t life forms…. Even though I’m not the type to sense mana well, I was really scared to death. So much I couldn’t even move. But you’re more sensitive to the flow of mana than me. I couldn’t send you alone.”
I took the stick from Cesare’s hand and drew the rest of the picture on the ground. One more tall person next to the tiny me. That person’s hair is blacker than the night sky, and their face is sharp and beautiful like a sculpture carved from ice.
“This is you.”
Crackle, crackle. The sound of dry branches burning in the campfire sounded quite nice. The flames gently swayed and the falling shadows flickered over our faces. My warmly roasted nose bridge burned, but it was just the right heat to embrace.
“……”
“This one will protect this one. This one is super smart and strong compared to this one. So this one can endure even if scared of these guys.”
I whispered softly as if telling a small secret fairy tale while pointing at the doodles we drew with the stick. Cesare crouched for a long time, then asked in a strange voice as if his throat was choked.
“Why… does that one go so far? Is it… because it’s stupid…?”
At his question, I just honestly answered what came to mind.
“I don’t know. This one wants to be next to this one. That’s all. This one really likes this one.”
“…To come stubbornly even after hearing such harsh words, it must be stupid.”
“Yeah. Stupid. Hehe.”
I sniffled at my nose melted by the campfire and adjusted the blanket covering my back well. In the silence that descended again, Cesare quietly asked again.
“Then what does… that one need most right now?”
“Well.”
I looked at Mitche, who hadn’t been visible for a while but suddenly appeared on my knee with a poof, and smiled brightly. The magical beasts are afraid of Mitche. So if Mitche becomes stronger, my chances of survival increase. To do that, I had to grow my love with Cesare.
“A kiss….”
I lightly leaned my head on Cesare’s shoulder. I felt him flinch at the lightly touching head, but he didn’t push me away.
“…I won’t do it anymore. Don’t worry. This is enough for now.”
How could the sound of his heartbeat transmitted from his reliable shoulder sound so lovely? I quietly closed my eyes and listened to the beating sound.
“Cesare. Cherish me. Okay? I only have you.”
“Ngh…. I’m cherishing you enough already.”
A faint smile formed at his body flinching once more and the sound of him exhaling. Cesare was embarrassed.
“It’s not enough. And cherishing means doing it like this.”
I gently embraced the back of his hand. Seeing no sign of dislike, I even interlaced our fingers upward and whispered to him.
“Pretty, pretty. Cesare, did I say your hands are pretty?”
Thump, thump. The heartbeat ringing softly beyond seemed like something I could listen to for a lifetime without getting tired. Earlier he was such an annoying and hateful bastard. Love was really curious after all.
“…Hmm, ahem. Lionel. Your hands are prettier. Is it because you hold a pen more than a sword….”
“Really? And?”
It was like prostrating to receive blessings, but even if it was empty words, it was nice to hear. Wanting to keep hearing, I urged him.
“Y-your hair too. I thought it was soft and a wonderful color. Pretty.”
“Hehe. And?”
“Your eyes too… they’re a similar color to emerald. That’s my favorite gemstone.”
“So are they pretty or not pretty?”
“Ahem! Pretty.”
When I replied sulkily, he awkwardly quickly added.
“My nose?”
“…Pretty.”
“My belly button?”
“Pretty… probably?”
“My face?”
“…Pretty.”
“Then should I yell at such a pretty face that it’s stupid~ or shouldn’t I, Mr. Yanox?”
When I playfully asked him with an imitation of Professor Bardi from basic arithmetic, Cesare also burst out laughing and answered.
“I don’t think I should, Professor.”
“Yelling earlier is a minus. A minus.”
“Yes. I’ll keep it deep in my heart so it becomes a plus.”
We giggled like that in front of the campfire and talked for a long time. Not even knowing the night was deepening. Soon my vision gradually darkened and my body became heavy. Even while speaking, my eyes kept closing drowsily.
Addiction is quite a vicious magic. With the voice settling in my ear like a tickle as the last thing, feeling him gently lift me up, I fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
The next day.
As soon as day broke, Cesare, Lampel, and I rode horses toward the edge of the swamp where Mad Crows were presumed to have nested. The principality troops decided to wait at a slightly distant place.
Because the road was narrow, we were going in single file—I was in the middle, Lampel in the lead, and Cesare at the end. I was going while staring at the pendant of the staff hanging behind Lampel.
‘I’m going to this slaughterhouse trying to get that.’
If not for that, by now I’d be in Ilbrun eating Pillsbury with Mitche while going around cheerfully.
“Lionel. Why are you looking down like that? Look ahead properly.”
“Ah, I was wondering if mages need staffs like that.”
“That staff is a family treasure passed down from the Age of Prosperity. It’s an artifact that greatly amplifies mana quantity.”
“Wow. How many artifacts does your house have?”
“Have I ever talked to you about the artifacts in our house?”
At my inadvertently blurted admiration, Cesare expressed doubt. Fortunately, Lampel joined our conversation at the right time.
“The Yanox Ducal House has been a family of mages for generations. We inherited the artifacts our ancestors collected from all over the country.”
Wondering if I could get additional information about Addiction, I quickly opened the conversation.
“Besides this, may I ask what other artifacts there are? People who worked at the merchant guild told me that artifacts have many interesting magics too!”
“Does your merchant guild also handle artifacts? Must be quite a large guild.”
Apparently Lampel still didn’t know I was from the Mellans Merchant Guild. Well, if he knew I was the only son of the Mellans Merchant Guild, it was uncertain whether he’d let me into such a dangerous plan so easily.
“While handling jewelry, an artifact once came in as stolen goods. It was quite a chaos then. Hehe.”
“Oho. What kind was it?”
“That happened? I’m hearing this for the first time.”
As expected of mages, not only Lampel but Cesare also listened to my story.
“It was a locket necklace with a small ruby embedded, and it was definitely empty inside. But every time it was appraised, complaints kept coming in. Saying there was a small portrait inside so please take it out.”
“A portrait?”
“But everyone who looked said a different person was drawn in that portrait. Some said their lover was drawn, some said their subordinate was drawn. Mostly they said their wives were drawn.”
“Does it project and show the person they want to see most?”
“Ding! The correct answer is ‘an artifact that reflects your worst enemy’!”
– Pfft.
The sound of small suppressed laughter was heard in front and behind me. I couldn’t see them and it was too quiet, but both definitely laughed. I don’t know why the Yanox family wants to hide the fact that they laughed.
“If there’s magic that reflects your worst enemy, there must be an artifact that reflects the person you love most, right?”
“Hmph. When it comes to love, there was an artifact more amazing than that crap. A really fucking annoying ancient magic.”
Lampel muttered while snorting.
“Love. An extremely powerful enchantment magic containing love itself. Even mortal enemies can’t help but fall in love immediately when caught in this magic… truly the most vicious curse.”
“Oh. I think I’ve heard of it somewhere. A love magic where you gradually see only that person.”
At my words, Lampel said in a chilling voice.
“That’s not something like love. It destroys a person’s mind. At first you’re sweetly soaked, then after tasting the peak of happiness, you plunge straight into the pit of hell.”
“Pl-plunge. Haha. Isn’t that too much exaggeration? Love is a good thing….”
When I laughed awkwardly, unnecessarily scared, Lampel turned around toward me and said brutally.
“That person becomes your everything. Your hands are useless unless that person holds them, your eyes are useless unless they contain that person. Your mouth, your feet. If all of you becomes useless, what is it if not a curse?”
“Th-that’s…. But if you love each other….”
“Puppy. You’ve read too many fairy tales. Talking about love.”
Lampel turned his head back and drove the horse.
“Among the artifacts we have, there are things dozens of times more important than that. In a way, you could say protecting it is the Yanox mission.”
