Chapter 85: It Was Good

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“… Ha.”

The shower room of a male dormitory, shared by two.

Leon let out a sigh as the water from the showerhead hit him. It was because he kept thinking about the events in the underground prison.

At that time it was only a slight shock but now, at this moment when everything was calm, it came to his mind again.

A man hugging another man. It wasn’t exactly pleasant but living in a holy city, he interpreted it as someone who might have a different set of values than ordinary people.

The words said during the hug were also purely meant to comfort himself. It actually brought him some solace. The words of someone who was a descendant of the Saint carried that kind of weight.

Well, it’s all fine. He’s thankful and it’s all overwhelming but, why did that body feel so warm when he was hugged?

A chest that couldn’t even be imagined as muscular. His abdomen. When it touched Leon’s body, it felt soft.

Moreover, there was the scent. A fragrance like fresh flowers that still lingered in his nose—

“…”

Leon turned the shower to cold water. He scrubbed his face with soap to erase the lingering scent. After finishing his shower, he felt mentally clearer.

‘Study. I should study.’

He couldn’t focus during the day because of that strange couple.

As soon as he sat at his desk, his mind settled and he felt a bit embarrassed for having thought about such things.

Had he been under a lot of stress lately? Thinking such nonsense…

Shaking his head, Leon opened the herbal encyclopedia. He had to memorize the effects and distinguishing characteristics so he could make use of them.

As he focused on his study, he heard the sound of the door opening.

Don’t look. Focus.

He didn’t want to break the flow he had gotten into. He thought it would be okay, and continued memorizing.

“Uh… Leon.”

But when the other person spoke first, he couldn’t help it.

“Yes. What is it?”

“Were you studying? Sorry, but there’s something I want to say.”

Ian slowly approached Leon.

His long platinum-blonde hair tied in a single knot. The black suit he wore looked high quality. He had no noticeable chest, and his waist seemed to dip in with his hips protruding, giving him a delicate, slender silhouette.

Yet he was still a man.

A man living in the male dormitory.

As Leon let out a slight sigh, Ian came right next to him.

“… About what happened in the prison earlier. Can I talk about it?”

“… Yes.”

Of all things, it was about the prison. Leon felt a little tense, but Ian spoke as if he were hesitating.

“Did you… dislike it when I hugged you back then?”

“Pardon?”

He thought he had forgotten, but now the memory returned.

That soft body. That warm… gentle… floral scent…

“I hugged you. Was it unpleasant?”

When his mind wandered, Ian’s violet eyes met his. The eyes glimmered faintly in the soft light of the magic lamp that was dimly lit for studying, making them seem mystical.

“Ah, no… not at all.”

“Be honest. I got scolded by Riley earlier… It’s just that, since I’ve only lived in the holy city, I don’t know how to maintain proper boundaries between people. So… if you disliked it, I won’t do it again.”

As Leon watched Ian speaking with a drooping posture, his gaze was drawn to him. His shoulders were slumped and his face, which had always worn a refreshing smile, now seemed a bit sad.

“… I didn’t feel bad. I was really grateful at the time.”

“Not that. Tell me if you liked it or disliked it. One or the other.”

The world isn’t black and white, but it seems like Ian has no middle ground.

Leon could feel the heat rising in his head. The effects of the herbs he had just memorized seemed to evaporate from his mind one by one.

What choice should he make at this crossroads?

Then Ian leaned in closer, it was clearly evident that he didn’t understand personal space.

His violet eyes were surrounded by long lashes, his lips a soft pink.

And the floral scent. A refreshing, yet somehow seductive fragrance that pulled him in. It was as if he was in front of a flower with confusing and overwhelming effects, making his mind fuzzy.

“Ah… Ah…”

As Leon stammered, Ian gently pressed his body closer.

His narrow shoulders, the delicate lines of his slender body.

And then, Leon lost his mind.

“G-Good…”

The words escaped from him without thinking, but he definitely wasn’t having any strange thoughts.

He couldn’t hurt the heart His Holiness. He respected his humble and noble spirit, that was all.

“Really? I’m glad…”

Ian smiled in response, a fresh and clear smile he had seen before.

Then, he placed a hand on Leon’s head, gently patting it twice.

“If you ever feel troubled, just tell me. I’ll comfort you anytime.”

With a voice that wasn’t too high or too low, pleasing to the ear, Ian stepped back and walked toward the shower room.

“…”

Left alone, Leon stared blankly at the air.

He remained absent-minded for a while.

********************

After-School One Day.

The steel sparkled.

The building didn’t suddenly start emitting light, or anything like that. Of course, such things happen sometimes, but not today.

It was because someone cast a huge spell in the outdoor training ground set up for the students’ magic practice.

“Hmm… Should we shorten the time to gather it?”

“We have to consider that there are a lot of magicians here. The surrounding magic energy is abundant, so if it were any other place, we’d need this much time.”

Sugar and Riley were holding hands—recognized as a magical gesture—and practicing a joint spell.

Nearby, the professors were watching the scene.

“No recording. Just watch with your eyes,” Sugar had said in a tone that made it feel like a museum, no one daring to take out a recording crystal. She even added that if anyone did, they would stop practicing right away.

As attention poured in, Riley spoke.

“I want to try another form.”

“What form?”

“So far, the method has been focusing on just one magic sphere. But what about creating multiple at the same time and distributing them, or firing them off all together?”

The power of each individual sphere would be reduced, but it would be an approach that uses range and numbers to overwhelm.

In response, Sugar answered seriously.

“Riley… The idea is good, but there’s a problem.”

“What is it?”

“I can only control three properly.”

Wizards place great importance on multitasking. That is, the ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time.

The mental strength to use one magic while simultaneously casting another, and the skill measured by such magical powers, distinguishes the wizards’ abilities.

Based on the maximum number of spells that can be cast at once, wizards are classified into categories like single, double, triple, or quadruple. Since the magic spheres don’t require spells to be recited, their number is not a basis for classification.

But still, isn’t three a bit few?

Typically, students who come to Steele are able to create at least five magic spheres.

Riley looked down at Sugar and gently patted her white hair. He wasn’t going to criticize her for not being able to do more. He could make up for the shortfall himself.

“… Just to clarify again, I said ‘I can only control three properly.’”

Sugar emphasized the point again, speaking with a peculiar tone. Her expression, gripping the wand tightly, looked somewhat annoyed.

To Riley, it didn’t really matter. He just continued doing what he was doing.

“Okay… I’ll see later…”

Muttering, Sugar aimed her wand forward again. Several targets with special magic circles were lined up. When she hits them with her attack magic, the spell would quickly travel to the “power room” through the magic circles, becoming part of Steele’s energy supply.

After a while, the practice ended as evening approached.

Immediately after, Sugar ran to the professors and gathered supplies.

5 points per professor. With 8 professors, she gathered 40 points in total. The reason given was that her passionate attitude toward magic was commendable, not for research material collection.

Just a few days ago, she had lowered her score from +30 to -30, and now it was back up by 40.

[Today’s Points: +10]

“I’ve entered positive points again!”

Sugar was waving happily at Riley when the professors approached.

“By the way, Riley, didn’t you just pat her head?”

“What? Is that really a problem? That’s a bit too much…”

As Sugar pouted, one of the professors lowered his voice and spoke.

“You see, other students are practicing around here, so it can’t be helped.”

“I see. If that’s the case, just deduct 15 points.”

[Today’s Points (Revised): -5]

And once again, it became negative.

The two of them, who liked playing with numbers, left the building to head toward the shopping district next to the school for dinner.

Ian, thinking she might be late due to practice, told them to go ahead.

“By the way, Ian, I saw you were with Leon earlier. Looks like you’ve gotten closer.”

“… That’s good.”

Riley thought back to Leon’s “screaming expression” from earlier. Lately, Ian had been dragging him along more often and when they were together, there was often an oddly frequent amount of physical contact.

He had clearly said that guys don’t do that kind of physical contact so it was no longer his problem.

He just fiddled with Sugar’s hand. It was natural that they were holding hands as they walked.

Sugar hummed a pleasant tune, walking lightly. The magic practice had gone smoothly, the points were back to a safe level, and she was walking with Riley. Everything about this felt great. Even the ambient magic seemed to respond, making the air around them fresh.

Riley looked down at Sugar. Her confidence had grown a lot since she was younger. It seemed like being at Steele, a place filled with magic, had allowed her to bloom even more.

He found that fascinating but was also a little concerned. It was a complicated feeling as he gazed down at her.

Someone brushed past them. At first glance, he seemed like an ordinary merchant.

But there was something familiar about the magic release pattern.

Before he had completely passed, Riley made a quick motion with his hand as if to grab something. In an instant, something appeared in his hand.

“… Hmm? Why are you checking your coat pocket all of a sudden?”

“It’s nothing. Just checking my wand.”

With a rustling sound, when Sugar looked up, Riley answered calmly.

Inside his coat was a wand, along with a letter that he had just received.

******************

[You should bring her.]

The sender’s name wasn’t on it, just a single sentence. But the weight of those words was heavy.

As soon as they returned to the dormitory, Riley read the letter and let out a deep sigh. Things were about to get a bit busier.

Exhaling a breath mixed with concern, he quietly burned the letter.