Edwin immediately furrowed his brow.
“What? A mage from the Mage Tower… stop making things up.”
“Making things up? Edwin. Why would I lie about something like that?”
At the confidence in my reply, Edwin’s expression shifted to genuine uncertainty.
“…Really, a mage from the Mage Tower? That makes no sense. They’re people who follow nothing but their own curiosity — free-spirited isn’t even the half of it. People like that don’t take on individual students. It has to be a fraud.”
“I’m telling you the truth. This isn’t a fraud. If you really can’t believe me, then let’s make a bet.”
“…A bet?”
“If I’m right, you agree to learn magic as promised. If I’m wrong, I won’t bring this up to you again. What do you say?”
Edwin pressed his lips together, visibly wrestling with something. The conflict played out in his shifting eyes.
Watching the deliberation drag on, I gave it a small nudge in the right direction — letting something deliberately provoking edge into my voice.
“Edwin. You’re not scared that I might be right, are you?”
The effect was immediate.
Edwin, who had been sitting with a locked-up expression of deep concentration, reacted like a flame catching.
“Scared? Me? Ha — fine. Deal!”
I laughed softly at the transparent response.
“All right. No take-backs — you know that, right?”
“Listen to you.”
“Then Edwin, you’d better start getting ready soon.”
“Because I’m definitely right, and learning magic takes a lot of preparation, doesn’t it?”
I added it with a playful smile, and Edwin, realizing I was teasing him, huffed indignantly. For a moment he looked exactly like a child his own age — and a laugh slipped out before I could catch it.
When the laughter faded, I noticed the quiet that had fallen over him.
Hm?
One moment he was steaming, and now — a heaviness had settled over his face. Something he seemed to want to say kept forming and dissolving at his lips until at last, a very small sound came through.
“…Why are you doing all this for me? Is it just because I’m one of the kids at the orphanage you support? Are you pitying me? Feeling sorry for someone who can’t get a proper education?”
His voice trembled faintly. Behind the words, there was fear.
I understood what he was afraid of.
He’s not used to kindness like this. He doesn’t know when it might end.
I caught the urge to let my expression twist, and held it still with effort. I spoke with deliberate lightness, as though his question was simply a little off.
“Pity? Absolutely not. Why would I do that? Edwin — what I’m doing is making an investment.”
“…An investment?”
“That’s right. I’ve been doing business with Mage Tower mages for a while now. But at some point it started to feel like a lot of trouble. So I started thinking — I should find a mage I can call my own. And as luck would have it, I found you.”
“…Your own.”
He swallowed tightly and repeated the phrase in a murmur.
“I’m recognizing your talent and your magical ability, Edwin. Do you understand now? In that sense, I’ve simply proposed what I should propose — in the interest of my own future business.”
I let a hint of mischief back into my voice.
“Who knows — maybe someday I’ll even get a discount from you.”
I smiled at him as I said it, and Edwin exhaled a breath that was almost — almost — a laugh.
“In your dreams. There are no discounts from me. Full price, always.”
“Wow, Edwin — after everything we’ve been through together, you’re going to be that firm about it?”
“Considering my talent, full price is barely enough.”
The confidence in his voice was entirely natural, and absolutely earned.
“Just wait. I’m going to become someone who surpasses even the mages of the Mage Tower. Right — no time to waste. I need to go. I have to start preparing immediately. Goodbye or whatever!”
His face flushed with excitement, chattering rapidly to himself, Edwin disappeared in the blink of an eye.
I had not known until today that Edwin could move so fast.
I watched where he had been and let out a long, relieved breath.
The relief at having successfully persuaded Edwin lasted only a moment before worry set in.
Because the promise I had made hadn’t been cleared with Noxie first.
I made a commitment to settle things for Edwin without checking whether it was actually possible…
The biggest obstacle was still ahead.
Noxie.
What was left to me now was to go to him and beg as sincerely as I possibly could.
Just thinking about it made me want to sigh.
I had practically promised Edwin on his behalf, which meant I had no choice but to make this work.
Honestly, the question of whether Noxie would agree wasn’t my greatest fear.
What worried me more was…
Whatever impossible, unreasonable demand he was going to attach to his agreement. That was what terrified me most.
Please. For the love of all things, just ask for money…
My ordinary human mind could not even begin to predict what outlandish condition he would dream up.
All I could do was pray.
I prayed to the heavens that he would think like a normal person.
The moment I returned home from the orphanage, I reached out to Noxie. I needed to arrange a meeting with him as soon as possible.
Fortunately, he replied that anytime was fine, and we arranged it immediately.
His suggestion from last time — meet me outside the tower — came back to me, so I chose a café in the capital as the meeting place.
Since this was a one-on-one meeting with Noxie in public, I had already told Axel about it in advance — to prevent any unfortunate rumors from circulating.
When I told him, though, there had been something notably off about Axel’s expression. His face had stayed tight and rigid until I explained that it was for Edwin’s sake — only then did it ease.
But even after that, Axel had asked at length where I was meeting Noxie, and at what time.
This was entirely unlike the Axel who had never paid any attention to who I met or what I did. The change was strange enough to notice.
I was still turning it over in my mind when the coachman’s voice broke through.
“We’ve arrived, miss.”
I stepped out of the carriage.
I had arrived ten minutes before the agreed time, so I went inside to find a seat.
But the moment I stepped in, I heard a murmur ripple through the café.
“I wonder which house he’s from? I’ve never seen someone so striking…”
“I know — I keep up with the social scene and I’m certain I would have heard of him. Perhaps he’s visiting from another region?”
“That might be it. I’m so curious which family he belongs to…”
The dazed quality in their voices made me begin to suspect — and very quickly, the suspicion was confirmed.
In the distance, seated alone, was Noxie. Even from across the room, he stood out with an almost unreal quality — his appearance, in its own way, every bit as otherworldly as Axel’s.
Seeing his face after some time, even I was caught slightly off guard. There was something almost sacred about the aura he gave off.
If he could just keep his mouth shut, the word ‘angel’ would genuinely suit him…
Of course, I knew perfectly well that inside was someone who belonged at the devil’s right hand.
But when he spotted me, the bored blankness disappeared from his face, and something like pleasure lit it up. He curved his eyes warmly and raised a hand in greeting.
In the same instant, I caught the glint of mischief in his gaze.
Unease began to creep in — and then I saw him draw in a deep breath, exactly like someone preparing to call out a name at full volume.
Is he going to—!
The absolute last thing I needed was a scene that would draw every pair of eyes in the room.
I moved to his table faster than anyone in the café and clamped a hand over his mouth.
The fox-like eyes curved into a smile as they met mine.
