The Innocent Mage's Spellbinding Nights - Chapter 43
The deceiver and the deceived
The final night of the festival felt like being swept away by a storm. Hesed’s unexpected confession was like a sharp sting of honey. It was both bewildering and sweet.
Irina, taken aback, could only ask for time to think, unable to do anything else as she was swept away by the wave that was him.
She couldn’t shake off Hesed, who held her hand, and she couldn’t send him away immediately when he followed her to her quarters after the fireworks ended, using the excuse of seeing her home.
“Irina.”
She had always thought that when Hesed called her name during their intimate moments, it was just because he couldn’t control his excitement. But after he revealed his true feelings, she sensed affection in the way he said her name.
Not as the Vice Tower Master, not as a priestess, nor as the young master of the Clark Marquisate, but as Hesed.
“…I like you. I have feelings for you.”
What kind of magic did those words hold?
Even though it had been two days since his confession, and despite Hesed acting more cautiously and gently than usual during their intimate moments, it was perhaps because it followed his confession.
“Ah, mngh, Hesed, hnnh, please!”
It was like the time she first drank the faulty potion and had her first intimate encounter with him, but even more so.
“Hnng, it’s too, ngh, I’m feeling it too much, haaangh!”
Her whole body was burning up, and she couldn’t stand it. It felt like a weak drug was flowing from his fingertips, and wherever he touched, she was enveloped in heat and excitement.
“Is me saying ‘I like you’ secretly your kink?”
“But Irina, if you were to say those words back, aren’t you curious how I would react?”
Those words sounded incredibly seductive. If she had been a bit braver, she might have fallen for his sweet temptation.
‘Could it be that I’m tougher than I thought…?’
Anyway, she didn’t give him an answer to his confession that night.
“Even if you don’t dislike me, please generously allow me to be with you. I’ll love you enough for both of us.”
Of course, Irina knew well enough that she didn’t dislike Hesed. But if someone asked her if she liked him and had romantic feelings for him, she couldn’t be certain.
So, she had to postpone her answer. Starting a new relationship with such ambiguous feelings wouldn’t be fair to him.
The wave of change brought by the festival didn’t end there.
“Tower Master, I’m sorry for speaking to you with such emotion that time.”
Celsia, who had exchanged sharp words and handed in her resignation letter, apologetically and sincerely.
“I’m not asking you to retract my resignation. I just want to help with the existing work until a new assistant is selected. I’ll make sure the handover is smooth.”
Although their personalities and hearts didn’t align, Celsia was a competent individual. Irina, who didn’t plan to hastily and carelessly choose a new assistant, gladly accepted her apology and offer.
With the surroundings stabilizing, even the troublesome request showed progress. One of the shamans affiliated with Ovtatio volunteered for the task.
“My name is Noyad. I came to see you, White Tower Master, because I thought of a spell after reading the request shared with Ovtatio.”
The shaman, whose hair was white from age, exuded a seasoned wisdom. According to the head of Ovtatio, he was more knowledgeable about shamanic practices than anyone else.
Irina welcomed him and got straight to the point.
“As you might know from reviewing the existing investigation reports, there isn’t any tangible evidence at the scene. Do you still think there’s a possible spell involved?”
“Sometimes, circumstantial evidence can be more powerful than physical proof, don’t you think? I’ve been listening to some strange rumors circulating in the back alleys recently.”
‘If you walk down a deserted street at night, you’ll start hearing footsteps behind you.’
‘If you look back even once, a monster with a huge red mouth will stick out its tongue and swallow you whole.’
There’s no smoke without fire.
“If it’s not just a common urban legend, could it be spread by a survivor or the criminal group itself?”
The culprit seemed meticulous, considering they avoided all the crystal balls Irina had set up. But could there have been a victim they missed by mistake?
“Hmm, if there were multiple targeted victims, there might have been a moment when their eyes were elsewhere.”
“Right, maybe our inquiries were insufficient.”
It would have been better if the victims or witnesses of this incident, who seemed to spread the rumors from the shadows, had come forward to provide information.
“Opening the mouth of someone consumed by fear is no easy task. We just have to do our best.”
Noyad pulled out a book from his robes. It was old and worn, with tattered corners that anyone could see had been well-used.
“What I’m about to tell you might not be significant to you, White Tower Master, but it is crucial and delicate for me. Can you swear by mana that you won’t disclose this information to anyone else?”
A vow made with mana. It was the highest and most serious promise a mage could make, not something to be taken lightly.
After a moment of contemplation, Irina answered clearly.
“It is a principle to keep personal information acquired during a request confidential.”
“……”
“But I will still swear—on the condition that it doesn’t apply if another person’s life is at stake.”
The shaman’s lips curled into a faint smile at her straightforward answer. It was the first change in his expression since he had met Irina.
“You seem to be a trustworthy person, White Tower Master. Yes, with such a mindset, I believe a vow isn’t necessary.”
