The Innocent Mage's Spellbinding Nights - Chapter 19
However, in informal duels or private fights, Hesed had never once beaten Scarlet.
“You little brat, why don’t you try that deadly magic on me like you do with Vine?”
“Unlike my tight-lipped Senior Brother, you’d run straight to Second Senior Sister and tattle, wouldn’t you?”
“Hehe, of course I would!”
Scarlet laughed heartily as she launched dozens of her special fire arrows. Carried by wind magic, they would blaze even brighter upon reaching their target.
‘He’s already troubled from being scolded by Irina.’
Watching his junior brother struggle to fend off and dodge Scarlet’s one-sided assault, Vine felt a twinge of pity for him.
However, it was difficult for him to tell Scarlet to stop, as the arrows might then be aimed at him. Although Scarlet liked Vine more than their cheeky youngest, she didn’t cherish him as much as her only female junior.
‘Consider this the price for your usual arrogance.’
Vine quietly retreated from the scene.
*
‘Do you think someone who looks down on others can ever reach her?’
After enduring Scarlet’s fierce attacks and sharp remarks, Hesed returned to his quarters, not feeling relieved of stress but rather battered and exhausted.
“She always knows how to hit the mark.”
In front of others, he could feign humility, diligence, and kindness, presenting the best of himself. But why did he always show his worst, clumsiest side to Irina?
Having lightly washed off the dust, he sat crookedly in his chair, wearing a robe and holding a bottle of liquor.
Gulp, gulp.
The honey-colored liquor went down smoothly, like cool water.
‘Instead of this, maybe…’
He considered pretending to take an aphrodisiac by mistake. Then he could cling to Irina under that pretext.
‘She wouldn’t reject a junior who came to her under the influence of an aphrodisiac…’
But then she would avoid him forever afterward.
Predicting the dreadful outcome, Hesed shook his head.
Thinking of Irina only made him thirstier. He quickly emptied the bottle and grabbed another.
Drinking straight from the bottle was a habit he had picked up from Vine, and it had a more satisfying feel than using a glass.
Before he knew it, Hesed had finished three bottles of strong liquor and felt his vision begin to blur. The table and floor seemed to ripple like the surface of a pond on a windy day, indicating he was quite drunk.
‘I should sleep.’
When he woke up, he’d have to don that mask of composure again.
Just then, as he staggered toward his bed, he heard a soft knock at the door.
Hesed turned his half-dazed eyes toward the door.
At this late hour, there was hardly anyone who would visit his quarters. It could be his aide, but given the discomfort he had shown all morning, they wouldn’t come for just any reason.
Moreover, the barrier around his quarters was quite sturdy, and only a few in the White Tower could break it: the former tower master, one of the elder mages, or the current White Tower master, Irina.
If it wasn’t one of those three, the unknown visitor would knock a few more times and then have to leave, as he wouldn’t open the door. Hesed dismissed the knocking sound and lay down on the bed.
Knock, knock.
The knocking continued two or three more times before it stopped. Whoever it was, Hesed muttered a silent goodbye and closed his eyes.
The unusually strong liquor gradually began to cloud his consciousness. But in his dream, he thought he heard the door click open.
“Hesed.”
And then came the voice of someone he thought wouldn’t be here for a while. His heart started pounding rapidly.
‘Have I fallen asleep already? Otherwise…’
“Are you sleeping?”
Irina’s voice. There was no way she would step into his quarters.
Soft footsteps approached the bed as if she was checking his condition.
“Oh, what should I do now…?”
Her voice sounded flustered. Hesed’s heart was burning with anxiety as well.
‘Why is Senior here at this hour? Is there an urgent matter?’
Should he open his eyes even if it meant showing a less-than-dignified, drunken state? Or should he continue pretending to be asleep?
“Hesed, you liar. You told me to come to you.”
Her tone was uncharacteristically petulant. Hesed was convinced. This situation had to be a dream, a sweet nightmare conjured by his twisted desires for her.
So he slowly sat up in bed.
“Did I wake you, Hesed?”
Although the main light was off, two small lamps were on, allowing him to see her clearly. She looked startled and took a step back.
“How could I sleep when you’re here, Senior?”
“You drank a lot, didn’t you? Did something happen?”
Her own reason for coming and her surprise seemed to be momentarily forgotten as she checked his face with a concerned expression, looking like the embodiment of human kindness.
