Chapter 89
Elena’s head snapped up as the hot hand approached.
Her eyes locked with Lexion’s.
No words were exchanged, but they knew each other’s minds.
Elena’s eyes slowly closed.
Seeing her like that, Lexion’s face came closer.
Kiss—
His lips touched Elena’s forehead and gradually went down.
Kiss, Kiss, Kiss.
It reached the bridge of her nose, her cheeks, and finally her lips.
Those ticklish kisses were brief.
And the two hugged each other tightly.
*****
“Ha.”
Elena let out a breath.
After that long kiss, she leaned her head on Lexion’s shoulder.
For a moment, the desire for skinship intensified, but the two managed to hold it down.
They had plans for the afternoon.
Looking at Elena, Lexion wanted nothing more than to convey his feelings to her right now.
He wanted her to feel his happiness, and he wanted her to feel the same way too.
With that in mind, he suddenly opened his mouth.
“Elena.”
“Yes, Lexion.”
Elena, who was looking at their clasped hands, raised her head toward Lexion.
At one point, Lexion had trouble breathing properly.
The way she gazed at him…
Lexion looked away for a moment and cleared his throat.
Then, when he felt he could speak, he said:
“Now, we’re no longer contract lovers, but real lovers?”
After he asked that, the previous tension he felt returned.
He was also worried that Elena might want to forget yesterday’s event.
But despite all of his worries, Elena replied with a bright smile.
“Absolutely.”
That answer made Lexion seem to have the whole world.
*****
While spending time together, the couple was also preparing to head to the Magic Tower.
Meanwhile, the long-awaited person has returned to the Tower and went directly to the Archmage’s office.
“Long time no see, Archmage.”
“You’ve worked hard, Jacob.”
After returning from the Black Continent, Jacob came to the Archmage to report his mission.
Karen greeted him with a smile.
“Good morning. How did your investigation go?”
“Yes. I’ll tell you.”
Jacob immediately told Karen everything he had seen and heard.
And when he finished, Karen’s eyes were wide with shock.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, it is. There is nothing left of the kingdom where it once stood, only the monsters.”
Something she didn’t want to believe was coming to reality.
Karen closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Her unsteady breathing was settled, and Karen’s mind became clearer.
“Okay. You’ve worked hard, Jacob. Get some rest for a while.”
“Yes, Archmage.”
Jacob said goodbye to the Archmage and left the office.
Karen fell into deep thought.
‘… It must have been done by the devil.’
But why only now did the monsters destroy the kingdom?
Before, monsters occasionally appeared in the kingdom to eat humans; but now, it was different.
‘Are you in need of something now?’
His energy from the battlefield subconsciously flashed through her mind.
‘Maybe there is something between Henus and the monsters…’
Karen’s eyebrows narrowed.
At that moment, she felt someone coming to her office.
*****
At the same time.
Elena and Lexion were holding hands as they headed to the Archmage’s office.
Doing this as they walked through the tower felt strange to her, but somehow, she also felt giddy.
“Elena!”
It was then that they heard an enthusiastic voice.
A face she had not seen in a long time was approaching them, waving his hand.
“Sir Jacob?!”
“How have you been?”
When Jacob stood before them with a friendly smile, Lexion’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“I’m fine! Oh, and by the way, this is the new Duke of Halos.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lexion Halos.”
“You are so handsome. Nice to meet you. I’m Jacob, Lord of the East Tower.”
They lightly shook hands, but Lexion’s expression was still solemn.
“By the way, Elena, is there something going on between you and Duke Halos?”
At Jacob’s question, Lexion’s expression quickly softened.
“Yes. We are lovers.”
Elena answered, blushing.
“Oh my gosh. You look so good together.”
As Jacob’s praise continued, Lexion’s lips also gently rose.
“Ah. Look at me. This is not the time. I’ll see you later. See you later, Duke.”
Jacob said goodbye to the two of them and hurriedly left.
When his figure was completely out of their sight, Elena whispered, “That’s him, which I think is Sera’s father.”
“… What?”
Lexion’s eyes widened slightly at her words.
“I can’t say for sure yet, but I’m almost certain. Oh well. We should go.”
Elena led the still-surprised Lexion to the office of the Archmage.
As they stood in front of the office, the door swung open.
When they went inside, there was already another guest in there.
“Elena! Unbelievable!”
Jeremy, who was reporting to the Archmage, saw her and was shocked.
Then, soon after, tears welled up as he came to her.
“You have lifted the curse. I’m happy, I’m really happy.”
Jeremy took Elena’s hand and burst into tears.
“Teacher, don’t cry.”
While Elena comforted him, Lexion removed Jeremy’s hand.
Jeremy stopped crying.
He then gave an awkward laugh.
“Ah, haha. Sorry. Because I’m being so emotional. Anyway, I’m really happy.”
As Jeremy moved away from the pair, Elena walked over to the Archmage.
Karen smiled as she looked at Elena and Lexion who returned together.
“Elena. You look healthy.”
“Yes, Archmage.”
“Good, I’m glad. I was more worried because it was a curse made of black magic, but… I am delighted that the curse was successfully removed.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
Karen looked at Elena and spoke slowly.
“However, this must have been the work of someone who possesses that magic. Do you know who did it?”
Since Elena’s situation was urgent, she couldn’t tell who did it.
So, this time, Karen asked her with a grave look.
“Yes. I know.”
Before Elena could say it, Lexion – who was standing behind her – went forward and said:
“It was my brother, Killian Halos, who placed the curse mark on Elena.”
At his words, the air in the office became cold.
However, Lexion added without hesitation.
“Years ago, after he was driven out of the Halos, I believe he had his hands on black magic.”
When Lexion finished speaking, Karen let out a soft sigh.
“I knew right away that he was the one who touched black magic, but I never realized he was a Halos.”
Karen’s eyes turned cold in an instant.
She looked at Lexion and spoke:
“As for what to do with him.”
“It doesn’t matter what you do. It’s completely irrelevant to me now. Rather, I…”
Lexion swallowed the words.
Elena held Lexion’s hand.
“I get it.”
Karen smiled softly.
“Now then, I want to hear what happened in the Kurte Mountains.”
Now it was Elena’s turn to report.
She recounted their experiences in the Kurte Mountains.
She didn’t need to go into too much detail.
But she saw this as an opportunity.
A chance to reveal herself.
So, Elena also talked about her experience with the Kurte tribe.
“… I’ve been hiding it all this time, but actually, I’m a Spirit Master.”
Even when she already said it, Elena was still nervous.
She had no intention of keeping it a secret forever.
Instead, she would reveal it at least after she learned a little more about the Spirit Temple.
However, through this incident, Elena realized that the Archmage and Jeremy cared about her more than she had initially thought.
So now, while she had the chance, she would tell them.
Elena’s heart was pounding.
It was difficult to predict the reaction of the two.
And their reaction came out after some time had passed.
“I already know.”
Karen said with a straight face.
“… What?”
Elena’s eyes widened.
Jeremy took a step forward and continued.
“Ever since Elena had her magic power measured in the Magic Tower, I and the Archmage knew that Elena is a spirit master.”
“Si-Since then? But why didn’t you talk to me?”
When Elena asked, Karen opened her mouth this time.
“… Because it seemed like you didn’t want to reveal it.”
Suddenly, her statement reminded her of something from a long time ago.
When Elena first met Karen at the Tower, the Archmage told her this:
“I’m not interested in uncovering other people’s secrets.”
As that moment came to mind, Elena’s expression brightened.
‘The Archmage and Teacher. Both of them have been waiting for me.’
They have been caring for her for a very long time.
“Thank you for waiting.”
Elena bowed her head toward the two of them, sincerely expressing her gratitude.
Both the Archmage and Jeremy looked at her and smiled.
Then, Karen changed the subject.
“Elena. I have a story to tell you.”
“What story?”
Karen’s expression turned serious.
“… This is a story about the former spirit master.”
