My Will Did Not Mean This

“Princess, do you need anything?”

 

Nothing ever came easy. As Vivian showed signs of leaving, the manager immediately followed her. But she had expected this much. Vivian answered with a calm face.

 

“I don’t know when your highness will return, so I’ll go to the jewelry shop first. If His Highness asks, tell him to come that way.”

 

“We cannot send our precious princess alone. Please take our staff with you.”

 

“Thank you for your sincerity, but I only accept your heart.”

 

Vivian walked out the door, praising the excellence of the dish. The slow pace became faster and more urgent as she got further away from the restaurant. At the entrance to the alley leading to the wizard’s guild, there was a vision distortion spell. This was to prevent outsiders from identifying the faces of guild guests. Vivian jumped into the alley without hesitation.

 

“Huh, huh…”

 

Her breath rose to the tip of her chin. But she didn’t know when Aslan would return. There was no time.

 

‘Let’s stay calm. This is a golden opportunity. I have to succeed in one go.’

 

Vivian entered the guild building. The interior was spacious and luxurious, but surprisingly there were not many people. No, it just didn’t seem like much, and there was a distortion spell in the room as well.

 

“Precious Lady, this is not a place you would come, are you perhaps lost?”

 

As evidence, the person speaking to her had a vague impression. Even if she was face to face, she could hardly remember his appearance. Vivian thought about the content of the original work. When Iris calls out to her mentor, it’s clear…

 

“They say the devil appears on nights when the red moon rises?”

 

“Yes, so you must never open your eyes.”

 

Suddenly, the light flickered and the scenery Vivian saw changed slightly. A passage has opened where there was a wall just a moment ago.

 

“Go up.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Vivian strode up the huge circular staircase. There was no one following. As she finished climbing her stairs, the door at the end of the hallway opened automatically. Standing in front of her, she made a ‘knock knock’ sound and went inside.

 

“How did someone who wasn’t even a wizard come here?”

 

A boy of about twelve was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. An ordinary person would have been surprised by the age of the guild leader, but Vivian knew the truth. Jesus could change his appearance at will. She may not have known other things, but she knew he was the strongest in the world when it came to ‘magic’. It meant that he was an opponent with whom common sense did not apply.

 

Vivian went in without hesitation and sat down across from him. He didn’t have time to talk at length.

 

“I want you to look at the magic circle engraved on my body.”

 

“Who would dare place a magic circle on the body of the future Grand Duchess? That’s nonsense.”

 

Jesús laughed and continued.

 

“Besides, I can’t feel anything from you. There is no magic circle in the world that I do not notice.”

 

In the first place, she didn’t think it would be easy. Vivian took off her cloak and without hesitation untied the ribbon of her dress from her chest. Eventually, the moment a faint silver pentagram was revealed, Jesus’ expression, which had always been somber, immediately hardened.

 

“What is this crazy magic?”

 

As Jesus got up from the sofa, an intense light spread out. He suddenly had the face of a young man in his 20s. He has returned to his original form. He suddenly approached and looked down at Vivian’s heart.

 

“It’s malicious.”

 

A silver magic energy like a magic circle hovered at the tips of Jesus’ fingers. However, the moment it touched Vivian’s pentagram, it sparked and disappeared. Jesus’s face distorts violently.

 

“Princess, does anyone have a grudge against you?”

 

“I’m sure you’re not asking because you don’t know, so tell me the main point first. What purpose is this magic circle?”

 

Vivian took out a pocket full of gold coins and put it down silently on the table. But Jesus’ gaze was still fixed on Vivian’s chest.

 

“Your life.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Someone mortgaged your life. It’s terrible black magic. If this magic circle is activated, your heart will burst and you will die.”

 

Jesus suddenly looked up. He stared into Vivian’s eyes, and in the blink of an eye, he returned to the sofa just as he had been when he first approached her. He sat down and suddenly had the appearance of a twelve-year-old boy.

 

“You’re not really afraid, are you? If you tell someone that their life is at stake, they usually tremble like dogs.”

 

“I’ve been through too many near-death crises to be worried about something like that.”

 

“You’re bolder than I thought.”

 

…It was a very scary fact to say. It’s black magic, and not only that, it could make a normal heart explode! Vivian calmed her trembling spirit by biting the inside of her cheek firmly. The opponent was an archmage with the greatest skills on the continent. There must be a way to solve this.

 

“I like bold people. So let me tell you two particularly good news.”

 

Sure enough, Jesus’s eyes widened with satisfaction.

 

“First, your magic circle is not complete. Circles that use black magic always have a dark red color, but that’s not yours. We can solve it.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You just have to destroy the formula here first.”

 

Jesus made Vivian feel very uncomfortable by adding the useless phrase, ‘Before your heart explodes.’

 

“Then destroy it.”

 

“I’m afraid it’s not as easy as it sounds.”

 

Jesus explained that after deciphering Vivian’s formula, you have to create a formula to destroy it and overwrite it, but deciphering it would take quite some time.

 

“Second, the magic circle is suppressing the princess’s lung disease. This thing called black magic has a stronger desire to monopolize than you might think. It doesn’t really like it when its sacrifice dies from causes other than itself.”

 

“…”

 

“Congratulations, Princess. You can choose whether you will die from lung disease or by your heart exploding.”

 

It seemed that Jesus was not only talented in magic. His fist-punching skills were very high-level. Thanks to this, she felt even more uncomfortable. Vivian, who was seriously considering whether to hit that guy or not, suddenly looked out the window. It took longer than expected. She was in trouble if Aslan arrived at the jewelry shop before him. Vivian retied her untied chest ribbon and placed a cloak over it.

 

“Create a formula to destroy the magic circle.”

 

“Then you’re going to die of lung disease?”

 

“I think it’s a good thing.”

 

There was no need to mention that Aslan’s colleague would develop a medicine for lung disease. However, Jesus raised his eyebrows with satisfaction at how he interpreted Vivian’s answer.

 

“That’s a lot of guts. I can’t believe you won’t beg for your life by resorting to black magic.”

 

“This is what compensation is for. Write as much as you want.”

 

Vivian laid down a blank check on the table. But Jesus’ reaction was sour.

 

“I like money, but I’m not driven solely by money.”

 

“It sounds like you want something else.”

 

Vivian clicked her tongue inwardly. She tried to save without using just in case, but she had no choice.

 

“I’ll borrow some.”

 

He cleaned the teacup on the table and picked up the decorative dagger hanging on the wall. Then he drew it on her arm without hesitation.

 

“…”

 

The sensation of the blade was terrifying. Vivian threw away the dagger and took her dripping blood into a teacup. The small teacup filled up in no time.

 

“I will give you Eleonora’s blood.”

 

“Wow, you’re hot.”

 

“There is no way a great wizard like you wouldn’t know about Eleonora’s blood.”

 

Eleonora, the hero who defeated the great evil Astaroth along with the first emperor of the empire. However, while the royal family was cursed for generations, Eleonora did not pay any price. Jesus, the only archmage who noticed the existence of the ‘curse’, was curious about it. Astaroth was a demon with a strong desire for revenge. He noted that there was no way such a being would have left the human who killed it alone. The fact that Iris, the original female protagonist, became Jesus’ disciple was an extension of this curiosity.

 

“Contract concluded.”

 

Jesus, with satisfied eyes, sat down and stretched out his hand. His magic activated and Vivian’s wound healed in the blink of an eye. But the magical treatment was not perfect. ‘Magic energy’, the root of magic, was a destructive force, and healing magic was an incomplete magic created by reversing that principle. In other words, it could happen again at any time even with a small shock.

 

“You need to take care of your wounds for the time being. And there is no way that someone as powerful as the Grand Duke would not be able to detect residual demonic energy, so don’t hide your injuries.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“I will contact you soon. Is there anything else you want in the contract?”

 

Vivian nodded her head. However, considering the repercussions, she distanced herself from Jesus as much as possible. After being fully prepared to run away if the situation arises, she gave a powerful blow.

 

“Don’t talk quietly. It’s all obvious, kid!”

 

And he quickly pulled her out. The sound of fast footsteps went away down the stairs. Jesus, left alone, blinked his eyes blankly, then burst into laughter.

 

“Tsk tsk, this girl is really hitting the mark! Why didn’t I recognize that person?”

 

A twelve-year-old boy transformed into a beautiful young man in the blink of an eye. Jesus stroked his long silver hair and muttered in satisfaction.

 

“I won’t be bored for a while.”

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

Vivian left the wizard’s guild and quickly headed to the jewelry shop.

 

‘Oh my.’

 

But she was one step too late. Aslan was standing at the entrance of the shop with a murderous look in his eyes. The knights who received his orders bowed down with solemn faces. She didn’t know what it was, but she could tell that it was a gem.

 

“Vivian.”

 

At that time, Vivian’s hesitant appearance was caught in Aslan’s field of vision. As soon as he took a step, the gathered knights parted like the Red Sea. Cold sweat ran down Vivian’s back.

 

“Where have you been? Come now.”

 

“Well…”

 

“The manager said it’s been a while since you left, but you don’t know how surprised he is when you’re not here.”

 

His long, strong fingers gently caressed Vivian’s cheek.

 

“I thought my mind would turn to mush, wondering what would happen if something happened to you, who was already so sick.”

 

“I’m sorry for startling you. There were unexpected circumstances.”

 

“What’s going on?”

 

Arslan showed his wrist without saying a word. On the outside, it looked beautiful and smooth without a single flaw, but Aslan, the magic swordsman, could see the residual magic behind it. Sure enough, his expression immediately hardened. His fingers gently traced the inside of his injured wrist. He pinpointed the spot where she had made the cut with the knife.

 

“Who did this?”

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note: