Startled, I looked around and realized that I was already surrounded by automatons.
“What… What is this? Where am I?”
I struggled to break free, but it was impossible to overpower the automatons with my own strength.
However, I could still make out the shape of the inn beside me.
“This is insane!”
I had no idea what trick they had used, but these things had kidnapped me!
Princess Eva, I’m coming to you on my own, so why would you kidnap me?!
“This is completely insane!”
The sudden situation was enough to send me into a panic. But in times like this, I had to summon my courage and find a way to escape.
I swung my hand down, aiming to strike the head of an automaton.
Clang!
“Argh!”
Unfortunately, all I accomplished was hurting my own hand by hitting that solid hunk of metal.
‘I need to escape…’
I couldn’t attack them with magic, but I could at least defend myself.
Should I use spatial isolation magic to hide?
Yes, that’s the best option.
I decided to use the magic I was most familiar with—spatial isolation magic.
But just as I was about to cast my spell, the window of the inn suddenly flung open, and someone leaped out.
“Simone!”
To my shock, he jumped from the second-floor window without a moment’s hesitation. Landing safely, he immediately sprinted toward me!
“Damn it.”
The ever-polite and courteous Simone now had a twisted expression of frustration.
Cursing under his breath, he dashed toward me and began fighting the automatons that stood in his way.
They were sturdy metal constructs, while Simone was only human—an unfair fight.
Yet, wielding a solid weapon, Simone took them down one by one. Using sheer force, he managed to destroy the cores of the automatons.
“This is insane!”
Suddenly, Raffaelo poked his head out from the window and shouted.
Just like Simone, he leaped out of the inn’s window, joining the battle. With his assistance, the fight became much easier.
“Take this!”
Taking advantage of the distraction, I managed to break free from the automaton’s grip.
Well, to be precise, I wasn’t completely free yet. I was still locked in a desperate struggle, wrestling against the machine.
Flashes of black magic flickered throughout the inn—it seemed Ghieuspe was also using magic inside.
I couldn’t attack the automatons directly, but I could still support Raffaelo and Simone.
“Seraphina! I’ll save youuuuu!”
“Aurora! Stay where you are!”
Surprisingly, they weren’t the only ones trying to rescue me.
“Seraphina, hold on! I’m coming!”
Arkhangelo was struggling to climb over the window frame!
Considering his usual clumsiness, just getting over the window was a challenge, but still, I was touched by his effort.
It felt like just yesterday that he had told me to protect him. And yet, now he was trying to help me.
As I was still wrestling with the automaton, someone suddenly lifted me up.
This familiar scent—it could only be Simone.
“Simone!”
I looked up at him with a mixture of relief and gratitude, and he held me tightly without saying a word. Then, dodging the attacking automatons, he ran.
“Raffaelo! Ghieuspe! Cover us!”
“Of course.”
Raffaelo smiled and, with precise skill, began striking only the cores of the automatons.
The group of automatons that had been chasing us quickly fell apart.
After that, we made it back to the inn and gathered in one room. Only then did I finally catch my breath.
“Hah… Hah… What the hell just happened…?”
“Seraphina! Are you okay?”
“No, but how did you not notice I was being kidnapped while sleeping right next to me?”
“Uh… When I woke up, I was sprawled across the whole bed! I thought maybe you rolled off onto the floor, but when I looked around and you weren’t anywhere in the room, I panicked!”
“Fix your sleeping habits!”
While I bickered with Aurora, Arkhangelo and Ghieuspe both let out sighs of relief.
“…That was close.”
“Hmm, it’s unfortunate that I couldn’t be of much help this time. Maybe I should sing next time?”
It was such an absurd suggestion, but knowing this was Arkhangelo’s way of comforting me, I smiled.
Raffaelo ran a hand through his sweat-drenched hair and spoke.
“I woke up because I heard you scream. Then, I heard Aurora screaming from the next room. Simone had already jumped out the window by then.”
“Simone’s reaction time was incredible.”
“Ah, thank you, Simone.”
However, Simone was still staring at me with an uneasy expression.
“I thought I lost you.”
“Thank you for saving me. I’m fine now.”
“I didn’t realize how special and important you are to me until now.”
“…What?”
I blinked in surprise.
Meanwhile, Raffaelo and Aurora’s expressions shifted subtly.
What was this? A confession? Or just another habit of his kindness?
***
The moment Seraphina was dragged away by the corrupted ones, Simone lost all reason.
He had always prided himself on staying composed in any situation. But for the first time, that composure shattered.
Without a second thought, he leaped out the window, just as he had done before. He fought with everything he had, and the moment he pulled Seraphina into his arms…
‘Ah.’
Simone felt something—
A premonition that his life was about to change.
He had become aware of an emotion he was never supposed to understand.
And with that realization came the unsettling certainty that he would be bound to someone for the rest of his life.
‘So, this is how it turned out in the end.’
Looking back, it had been foolish not to notice sooner.
Now, he understood why Raffaelo always teased him.
To be fair, though, he had never experienced anything like this before.
He genuinely believed he was someone incapable of such emotions.
After all, ever since the experiments at the Magic Tower, he had assumed his emotions had been severed.
He had lived his life like an entity made purely of reason.
And when he first felt these strange stirrings, he had mistaken them for mere trust and affection toward a close friend.
How could someone who had never opened his heart to anyone recognize anything beyond that?
But now, there was no denying it.
To feel something this intense and still ignore it would be nothing short of cowardice.
And so, Simone Monteverdi finally admitted it to himself.
It was irrational.
It was illogical.
But he—
He was in love with Seraphina Viviana.
‘…What do I do now?’
Having never been in love before, he had no idea how to act from here.
He couldn’t talk to Ghieuspe, who was just as inexperienced as he was.
He couldn’t confide in Arkhangelo, who was too self-absorbed to understand.
And if he told Raffaelo, he would never hear the end of the teasing.
Aurora was the worst option—she’d have way too much fun mocking him.
Only now did he realize why he had acted so irrationally before.
He had paid unnecessary attention to Seraphina, gone out of his way to take care of her, kept his eyes on her more than anyone else.
Even the strange things he kept blurting out in front of her— it was all because of this ridiculous feeling.
‘Why did God create love in the first place?’
Love made people strange.
That was precisely why Simone had never planned to fall in love with anyone.
Yet now that he had, now that he understood what it meant to love someone—
He didn’t want to go back to how he was before.
Even if someone came to erase his feelings for Seraphina, he wouldn’t let them.
It felt ridiculous, like he had turned into one of those soft, sentimental protagonists from a fairytale.
And yet…
He didn’t hate the feeling.
Letting go of his feelings for Seraphina? That was never an option.
She was the one who had changed him this much—
How could he possibly let her go?
It was selfish, but he wanted her to take responsibility for making him fall in love.
‘Now the question is…’
Should he make it obvious?
Or should he keep it hidden for now, to avoid overwhelming her?
For now, Seraphina seemed preoccupied with Princess Eva, her mind clearly troubled.
Soon, Simone came to a conclusion.
‘I have to try.’
Whether before or after defeating Princess Eva, Simone wanted to be bound to Seraphina.
Of course, such a thing wouldn’t happen overnight. It would take time—
They would need to gradually build affection for each other.
Starting now wouldn’t be too soon.
‘…Even though I once tried to betray her.’
He shouldn’t have said something so foolish back then.
‘Still, she doesn’t seem to hate me now.’
At the very least, Simone was sure that among their group, Seraphina valued him the most.
Yes, that much was certain.
Which meant he wasn’t starting from a bad position.
If Seraphina already had human affection for him, wouldn’t it be possible to turn that into romantic affection?
‘…Or is that too difficult?’
Thinking about it, he liked Aurora as a person, but he never saw her romantically.
Even if someone forced him to fall in love with her, it would be impossible.
And he was sure Aurora felt the same way.
Between them, there was no romantic tension whatsoever.
‘So, that’s the key—romantic tension.’
But…
Had there ever been such tension between him and Seraphina?
Simone thought about it for a long time.
But he couldn’t come up with an answer.
How would he even know? He had never been in a relationship before.
‘Still… if I put in the effort, I can make it happen.’
Simone never failed when he committed to something.
If he pursued it persistently, he was sure he would succeed.
Likewise, if he approached Seraphina correctly, couldn’t he make her fall for him?
‘And even if I fail…’
Regardless of the outcome, Simone wanted Seraphina by his side forever.
One way or another, that goal had to be achieved.
He just had to make sure she couldn’t leave him.
Find a way to ensure that she chose to stay—willingly.
Even if Simone failed to win her love, Seraphina would have no choice but to remain by his side.
‘Just try running away. Let’s see how far you get.’
With that resolution set, Raffaelo, who had been watching him closely, spoke up.
Aurora and Seraphina had already returned to their rooms.
“Simone, don’t tell me you just now—”
“Shut up.”
“Wow, you really are slow sometimes. You just realized it now?”
“If you don’t shut up, I’ll take it as a challenge to a duel.”
At that, Raffaelo finally closed his mouth.
But his smug grin irritated Simone to no end.
Damn it.
He was being teased for something as irrational and illogical as love?
How absurd.
Love truly did make people stupid.
Meanwhile, Ghieuspe, exhausted, was already half-asleep.
Arkhangelo, on the other hand, looked restless, still affected by the events earlier.
So, Simone turned to him and spoke.
“Thank you, Arkhangelo.”
“For what?”
“For trying to save Seraphina earlier.”
“Hah! She’s my friend. Of course, I would!”
Hearing that, Simone smirked.
Arkhangelo had grown a lot.
“Will you continue fighting alongside us?”
“If there’s danger, I’ll gladly step in!”
“Haha, don’t worry. I won’t let things escalate to where you have to get involved.”
As he spoke, Simone suddenly realized something.
Until now, among the three, he had always found Arkhangelo the most difficult to deal with.
His shameless and emotional nature had never aligned with Simone’s rational mindset.
But now…
Now, Arkhangelo felt familiar. Comfortable.
It wasn’t just Arkhangelo who had changed— Simone had, too.
‘So much has changed.’
Thinking about all that he had gained from this journey, Simone couldn’t help but smile.
