Ariel had finally awakened as an Archmage.
Whether it was the intoxication from that newfound power or some side effect of the drug I made, one that even I didn’t know about, Ariel who was drunk on euphoria stood against all of us.
Thus began the subjugation of the Archmage.
It was expected to be an intense battle.
“Sniffle…”
But the Archmage Subjugation ended in just 30 seconds.
Well, that’s only natural.
Just look at our lineup. It’s completely ridiculous.
We had the main character Lobelia, of course.
Then there was Yuna, the safe-yet-crazy clown, Dietrich the Sword Saint, and now even a newly awakened Prophet.
With this kind of team, we could probably take on Olga Helmod herself and still win.
And this was just Ariel, who just became an Archmage?
Honestly, losing would’ve been harder.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Well, for starters, I really want to beat the crap out of you…”
Lobelia who had overexerted herself aiming for a swift conclusion glared at me murderously as she muttered.
“Still, things have quieted down a bit now, haven’t they?”
“That kind of optimism… I should learn from it. I really should. But I can’t. I’m still so angry!”
Her fist came flying right up to my face.
But Lobelia barely managed to hold herself back.
I mean, come on.
Did I say anything wrong?
Even Yuna who had been trying to grab hold of me stopped in her tracks with a sour expression, seemingly unsettled by Ariel’s transformation.
Well, at least the tense atmosphere finally eased thanks to one person’s intervention.
“So what now? What are you going to do if she wakes up again?”
Yuna’s cold, level-headed remark struck me.
Hmm… she wasn’t wrong. That really was a problem.
“For now, we should move her to a room and just keep an eye on things.”
“You do realize, right? Sure, we beat her easily this time, but once she gets used to her new power, she could become unstoppable.”
“That’s true, but… this could also just be a temporary side effect. Maybe it only happened because she was high on the rush of becoming an Archmage.”
“…Yeah, that could be the case.”
And really, what else could we even do besides wait and see?
It wasn’t like we could call someone who could suppress Ariel with ease.
If we tried to haul her off all the way to the cradle and she woke up midway, who knows what kind of disaster would happen.
So in the end, it was safer to keep her somewhere we could see her and monitor her closely.
Just as I lifted the unconscious Ariel into my arms and stood up—
“Johan.”
“Yeah?”
“What a wonderful engagement ceremony. Probably the kind of engagement no one else will ever experience.”
“That’s because of you, you idiot.”
Everything could have settled down smoothly, but thanks to you butting in, the snowball had rolled all the way to this point.
“So, having an engagement ceremony with two people at once…that was fine with you?”
“……”
“If you’d just been honest and apologized, things would be a lot better than they are now.”
“Shut up.”
Anyway, this is all your fault.
***
After moving the uninvited guests to the guest rooms, I decided to wait for the moment Ariel woke up from her fainting spell.
For some reason, Yuna didn’t interfere this time and instead quietly went off to meet my father.
As for what that document of hers really was… well, it’s probably best not to think too much about it.
All I could do was hope that Father would handle it properly.
“When do you think she’ll wake up?”
“If it’s Ariel, it won’t take long. She’ll regain consciousness today, so don’t let your guard down, Johan.”
“Would it really make a difference whether I let my guard down or not?”
“……”
Lobelia stared at me for a moment, then turned her head.
“Just make yourself comfortable.”
“Ah.”
Lobelia never said things she didn’t mean.
Taking her words as an objective assessment, I decided to ease my mind. After all, when things blew up, there was nothing I could do anyway.
And it’s not like I had the luxury to mentally prepare for it, either.
“Mmm…”
Ariel twitched slightly and slowly opened her eyes.
Her dazed gaze lingered on the ceiling for a moment before quietly shifting toward me.
“Johan…?”
“So now you’re calling for him before me. I can’t help but feel a bit conflicted about that.”
Ignoring Lobelia’s nonsense, I focused on checking Ariel’s condition first.
“My head… ugh! It hurts.”
“Your Highness, maybe you should’ve hit her a little more gently.”
“I never struck her head, though?”
“Are you in a lot of pain? Do you remember anything about what happened earlier?”
“Earlier? Ugh! I do remember drinking the cure, but…”
“Don’t push yourself.”
If she didn’t remember, all the better.
And she didn’t seem to be showing any signs of going berserk like before.
So it really must have been just a temporary phenomenon at the moment she became an Archmage.
“For now, please take this.”
I handed Ariel a painkiller as she kept clutching her head in agony. I had kept it ready in case someone got hurt during the fight earlier…thankfully, it came in handy.
“Here’s some water. Drink slowly.”
“Thank you, Johan.”
She took the cup from my hands with both of hers and gulped down the medicine with the water.
“Thank you, Johan.”
“…I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
She smiled faintly and glanced around once more.
“I finally feel clearheaded.”
Her previously hazy eyes regained their focus. She really did seem like herself again.
“Up until a moment ago, it felt like I was lost in a dream because of the headache…”
Ariel handed me the cup back.
And just as I was about to take it from her without thinking—
“Thanks to that, I realized something.”
She grabbed my hand.
At the same time, it felt as though my entire body was being dragged down into deep water, weighed down unbearably.
“This really is fate!”
The madwoman with crystal-clear eyes.
A sinister disposition that only grows more twisted the clearer her mind becomes. It felt worse than when she was lost in a dreamy haze.
“Gah! Ariel! Forgive me!”
Just as I was being overwhelmed by those eyes, so pure they seemed almost righteous, Lobelia charged at Ariel again, now with desperate resolve.
A lot happened after that, but I’ll spare you the details.
Let’s just say the end result was Ariel, once again peacefully asleep, and Lobelia, now covered head to toe in dust.
“Never prescribe medicine to Ariel again.”
“Come on, how was I supposed to know she’d go off the rails the moment she sobered up?”
“Quiet. Got it? Never, ever let Ariel become clearheaded again. She needs to stay dazed until we get back to the cradle!”
“How exactly?”
“Give her sleeping pills or something.”
“But you just said not to give her any medicine.”
“Figure it out.”
This is why people hate higher-ups…
There’s no worse boss than this.
And the worst part? This person is supposed to become the highest authority in the land. The future of the Empire looks bleak.
“And you….it’s best if you avoid contact with Ariel for the time being. Right now, your presence only agitates her.”
“Hmm…”
“I feel bad for her, but we need to keep some distance for a while.”
“Understood.”
I glanced sideways at Ariel who had dozed off again and was breathing softly, then turned away.
All I can do is hope she returns to how she used to be.
Seriously.
Anyone but Ariel.
She’s the only one even remotely within the range of a sane person!
“Johan, this might be a needless question….but what do you plan to do about the other one?”
“Well… I’ll try talking to her first, but… Yuna’s always felt like she’s a step ahead of me, so whether it works out or not pretty much depends on her.”
“I see. Good luck.”
And with that, I headed off to another battlefield. A difficult one.
***
Before meeting Yuna, I went to see my father again.
“Father.”
“So it’s come to this.”
“What has…?”
I hadn’t even asked anything yet, so why did he already look so resigned?
What kind of conversation had taken place?
“Congratulations on your engagement, Johan.”
“……”
He tossed a single document at me and left it at that.
On the paper were the seals of Tower Master Olga Hermod and Count Damus.
No further explanation was necessary. On paper, I was now engaged to Yuna.
“I don’t mind. I’ve been prepared for this for a long time. But how do you plan to explain this to the Duke?”
“Why would I explain it?”
“You’re my guardian.”
“My son, the Duke is a very busy man in the capital. This isn’t something that can be handled with just a letter. Since it’s a serious matter, it’s only proper for the party involved to explain it face-to-face. So, my son, when you go to the Empire, make sure to explain things well.”
“You seem to have all the right words. So you were prepared this time too, weren’t you?”
“The moment I received that document, I figured this day would come. So I organized what I wanted to say in advance.”
My father looked utterly exhausted.
Maybe it was because too much had happened between us today.
I couldn’t bring myself to blame or scold my father like I usually did.
Yeah… he must be having a hard time too.
No point in wasting more energy today. It would only end in wounds.
“Then I’ll go see Yuna now. Do you know where she is?”
“Hmm… probably in her room. It’s late; she’s likely asleep by now.”
I highly doubt that.
Sure, I’d been swept around all day. But that’s just from my perspective.
From Yuna’s point of view, nothing had been resolved. Everything was left hanging.
Knowing her, there’s no way she’d just sit still after all that.
She’s probably plotting something, or at the very least waiting for me to come to her.
And if not…
“Yuna, are you there?”
I thought maybe, like usual, she might be following me from behind, so I called her name…but unfortunately, she didn’t appear.
“What was that about?”
“Oh, nothing. Just a kind of habit. Sometimes when I call her like that, she suddenly pops out from somewhere.”
“I see. I suppose that’s one form of love too. I understand.”
“Please don’t understand.”
Please don’t treat this like it’s normal. I may have resigned myself and accepted it all, but I can’t stand others doing the same.
I just want someone to understand what I’m going through.
“I’ll head out for now. Oh, by the way, are the others doing okay?”
“You mean Dietrich and Helena? Those two are busy polishing off the leftover food from the party that got canceled.”
“……”
“They must have been starving on a regular basis… tsk tsk. With those strange powers and sword skills, they’ve clearly lived a rough life.”
“Uh, well… something like that.”
It was probably best not to mention that Helena came from one of the top-ranking marquis families in the Empire.
Not for my father’s sake, but for Helena’s dignity.
“Well then, I’ll really get going now.”
“Go on.”
My father rubbed his brow and waved me off. He seemed busy as always. Ugh, being a count must suck.
This wasn’t the kind of count I used to dream about…
***
Leaving my father behind,
I set out, this time for real, to find Yuna. First, I thought she might be in her room, so I gave a light knock, but there was no response.
Hmm, I kind of expected this, but actually not being able to find her is starting to make me uneasy.
What could she be thinking? What kind of scheme is she plotting now?
I’d better check elsewhere.
“Hey, have you guys seen Yuna?”
“Nope!”
“Haven’t seen her, senior!”
“Okay, eat up… but don’t overdo it. As long as you’re staying here, you won’t be starving, so there’s no need to eat like there’s no tomorrow, alright?”
“I’ll keep that in mind!”
“I’ll keep that in mind, senior!”
Yeah, at least they respond well.
Nice and loud, too.
If only they weren’t stuffing food into their mouths while answering, I might’ve actually believed they meant it.
“Well then… where could she be?”
I passed through the dining hall and headed toward the garden.
The garden that used to be filled only with rosemary was now bursting with flowers of every color.
Looks like someone had planted and cared for them while I was gone.
“Big brother?”
“Chris? What are you doing up this late instead of sleeping?”
“I’ve been tending to the flowers.”
“…You? Flowers?”
“You know I’ve always liked flowers.”
“Oh… right. That’s true.”
Now that he mentioned it, I did remember.
It was back when Chris was still frail and sickly.
Back then, he was a delicate boy who actually looked right at home among flowers.
His heart hasn’t changed, but I keep forgetting that.
It’s just… nowadays, Chris seems more suited to blood and battle than blossoms.
Not that I actually want him living that kind of life.
“Have you seen Yuna?”
“Big sister Yuna? Hmm… I think I saw her on the third floor earlier, but I’m not sure where she was headed.”
“Really? Well, even that’s helpful. Thanks for telling me. Don’t stay up too late, okay? Kids… need to sleep early to grow…Not that you need to grow any taller… and I guess you don’t really need to get healthier either… but still. Just take it easy, alright?”
“Yes, big brother!”
Even as I said it, I found myself thinking. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if Chris stayed up all night.
Is that selfish of me?
I’m not sure.
Back then, I thought it’d be enough if he just got healthy.
But now… I kind of wish he’d stop being so healthy.
***
After that, I headed up to the third floor and checked around here and there.
But just as I’d expected, there was no sign of Yuna.
It was getting pretty late, so what on earth was she doing?
As I stared out the window, a strange feeling suddenly came over me.
Why, I didn’t know….but I had this vague sense of where Yuna might be.
“Hmm…”
As if in a trance, I began walking and made my way up to the roof.
She’s always been like a cat. Someone who enjoys high places.
And since someone had seen her on the third floor, she might’ve been heading even higher.
Climbing up through the attic, I finally reached the rooftop—
And there she was, looking up at the moon.
“What are you doing up here?”
“Puhihi! Who knows? Moon-gazing?”
“Yeah… the moon is beautiful tonight.”
I noticed that too earlier, through the window.
Maybe because our territory was out in the countryside, the stars and the moon were always clearly visible.
“You handed the documents to my father.”
“Mhmm. Got a problem with that?”
“Of course not. It just felt like… it was bound to happen.”
“I’m glad you’re not upset.”
“I’m not that shameless, you know?”
To be honest, Yuna was someone who felt almost too good for me.
She lacked nothing, and yet she devoted herself to me.
If someone didn’t like a person like her, that would be the strange part.
“Hey, Johan.”
“Yeah?”
“The atmosphere here is nice.”
“Right? It’s not just because it’s our territory. Count Damus’s territory has always been…”
“Do you remember what I said before?”
“Hmm?”
Just as I was about to go on bragging about our land, Yuna turned to me with a soft smile.
Something felt different.
Not like usual…
“What did you say?”
There was something tender in the air.
Yuna leaned in a little closer and whispered in my ear.
“Kiss me.”
I’d heard her say those same words once before.
What did I say back then?
Something about how there’s a right time and the right moment for things?
“Hmm…”
I looked up at the moon for a moment.
A big full moon and twinkling stars.
Normally, I would’ve just thought it looked pretty and moved on.
But tonight, it felt different.
“The mood really is perfect, huh?”
I gently pulled Yuna by the shoulder and kissed her.
It was a moment like a wave crashing in with white foam,
leaving something behind as it rolled away.
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