24 – Jealousy.
Jane was speechless at the sight of the man’s face in front of her.
He was someone who frequently came to mind, but a man she had defiantly ignored.
Every time she thought of him, her heart ached for no reason, so she had ignored him, but now he was right in front of her.
“Ka, Kariel····?”
“······.”
Kariel responded to Jane’s question with silence.
She quietly looked into his eyes.
Kariel’s gaze was emotionless, just like before.
In his party days, he always had a warm gaze.
Now, however, he looked with just a devoid of feeling look, as if looking at a stranger.
From Noble mtl dot com
– Thump thump thump thump.
Her heart began to beat wildly.
It felt as if her heart might burst through her chest at any moment.
Just as she was calming her fluttering heart,
“If you have nothing to say, you should go.”
With a cold voice, Kariel said so and aimed to depart.
Jane felt like she was going to lose him if this went on.
So, maybe that’s why?
“Wait, just a moment!”
She grabbed his hand again.
Kariel turned his head.
Realizing her mistake, Jane quickly apologized.
“I, I’m sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, then let go of my hand.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
As she spoke with a cold voice, Jane hastily withdrew her hand.
Then, she spoke directly.
“I know it’s brazen of me to say this, but I’ll ask again. Is there any chance you’ll rejoin our party?”
“…”
“I suppose it must seem absurd from your point of view. But there simply isn’t any other mage for our party except for you, Kael––”
“As I said before.”
Kael cut off Jane’s words.
Continuing with a frosty voice, he said, “I have things to attend to right now. Therefore, I must decline your offer.”
With those words, as if nothing had happened, he turned and walked away.
Jane was left staring blankly at Kael’s receding figure.
***
At that time.
Having finished the semifinal round, Hail returned to the hideout.
He rolled his shoulder and clicked his tongue.
“Who knew such a monster actually existed.”
The man in the mask he had encountered at the tournament.
Until then, his overwhelming presence had clearly signaled his strength.
But Hail had thought that if they faced each other, he’d at least be able to match him to some degree.
‘I never imagined being toyed with like this.’
Where could such a monster have suddenly appeared from was a mystery to him.
As Hail checked his body for injuries, a cold voice reached his ears.
“What are you up to, Hail?”
Turning his head, he saw Kali, who could be considered his boss.
The organization named after him.
Hail, loosening up his body, replied to the question.
“I was just sizing up the damage from a bit of a beating at the tournament arena.”
“It seems you don’t have any serious injuries?”
“No. It appears that the man named Kail must have pulled his punches. More importantly, what’s the deal with that guy? I’ve never seen such a monster in my life.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure either. This is the first time I’m hearing the name ‘Kyle’.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. But I have some unfortunate news to share.”
“Unfortunate news, you say?”
“Yes. The servant is dead.”
“?!”
In a flash, Hail’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Shortly after, he posed a question.
“Are you serious?”
“The magic linking him is completely severed.”
“Huh, who killed him?”
Kali pondered quietly.
A nagging doubt sprung up in his head.
‘Could it be the great sorcerer who killed the apostates?’
A grand sorcerer who in the past had slaughtered apostates and demons.
His face and name were kept hidden, but he knew one thing for certain.
That he was the most powerful sorcerer ever.
‘No, it couldn’t be him.’
The grand sorcerer who had disappeared a few years ago.
There would be no reason for him to appear now.
If he was to come back, he should’ve returned a while ago.
“I’m not sure. There were no traces left.”
“Do you think information may have leaked?”
“It’s unlikely. Didn’t I hire a separate merchant specifically to prevent information leaks?”
“Indeed, you did.”
-Ugh!
As a close family of the servant, he was in the worst mood.
Who could have imagined that his twin brother would die in such a way.
‘I’m not sure who killed him, but I will take revenge.’
***
The next day.
Soon enough, the final day of the festival had arrived.
No, to be exact, it would be better to say that the party was tending to its end.
I moved towards my destination for the promise I made with Nell.
While walking, I remembered the conversation I had with Sariel.
-So, the one who showed up in the arena had no magic, and it was his twin sibling who had it?
-Yes, indeed. Yet, the disturbing part is that he gained magic by consuming a potion the merchant gave him.
-What are the odds that this could be a lie?
-Nearly zero.
-Huh, that’s quite an anomaly.
Seems like she never anticipated this either.
Before long, she asked me a question.
-Didn’t you destroy all of that potion?
-I remember it that way. I also assume we killed off all the renegades.
-Hmm, there must be some new ones then. I’m not sure how it happened, but I’ll make sure to thoroughly investigate this incident.
-Okay. Got it.
And with those words, we ended our communication.
‘Who on earth was the drug-dealing merchant?’
There was no character fitting that description in my memory.
Initially, I thought I would just conduct perfunctory research about it, but it looks like it will require a proper investigation later on.
As I was organizing my thoughts,
“Mr. Kael!”
In the blink of an eye, Nell was approaching with nimble steps.
I turned my head.
She also seemed busy in her official attire.
“It seems like you’ve been extremely busy?”
“Oh yes. Actually, it’s like babysitting for our professors and there is a lot of paperwork involved as well. Ahahahahaha.”
Looking at her dull eyes, it was clear that each festival was this exhausting for her.
“Anyway, we should not linger here. The fireworks display is soon to begin. Let’s move rather than standing here.”
“Weren’t we going to watch it from here?”
“There are many people here. It might be hard to see properly.”
Considering the bustling crowd around, it’s usually hard to get a good look.
Convinced, I followed behind Nel.
Then, a moment later.
“Here is the best spot.”
Soon after, we arrived at our destination.
Unlike other places, it wasn’t crowded with people.
Moreover, there were no buildings or trees nearby.
It could definitely provide a good view.
Then, at that moment.
– Whoosh! Boom!
The fire made of magic on the magic tower soared into the sky.
Since I had always been inside the magic tower, I had never seen it myself.
However, seeing it like this, I can understand why people gather to watch.
– Boom. Boom.
The colorful flames with shades of red and blue exploded.
People watching were all in awe.
Not only that, but Nel too, was lost in the spectacle.
“I hope we can come back again next time.”
“Yes, maybe next time we could bring the students along.”
“…..”
Suddenly, Nel squints her eyes.
What’s this? Why is she making that expression?
It’s said that her expression remained the same until the fireworks ended.
***
Five minutes before the start of the fireworks.
Jane blankly stared out of the window of her pre-booked accommodation.
“Sigh. Why did I do that…..”
She covered her face and thought about what had happened the previous day.
– “I know it’s shameless for me to ask, but I’ll ask one more time. Can you perhaps rejoin our party?”
He suggested a party to Kael, of all people.
He had avoided reaching out to him till now, fearing being a nuisance. Yet, thinking back, he seemed to have completely lost his mind yesterday.
‘I shouldn’t have told Rivia.’
Rivia, who felt more regret than anyone else.
Each time she remembered Kael, she wore a gloomy expression.
‘Still, this isn’t right.’
They ultimately failed to recruit a magician this time.
‘If not in the arena, it has to be here.’
Jane stared at the invitation to Lionel Academy in her hand.
The note was simple.
They wanted her as an external teacher.
She would normally reject, but now there’s nowhere else left to find promising talent.
– Whoosh!
Thinking of recruiting someone else, Kael’s visage came to mind once more.
She clenched her eyes tight, trying to justify this to herself.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Thinking so, Jane was about to close the window.
But at that moment.
-Boom!!
A massive surge of magical fire erupted from the sky.
Seeing it, Jane stood agape, in awe.
“Precious…”
Just as she was quietly watching the explosion.
“Hmm?”
A familiar figure caught her eye.
Jane squinted and looked closely.
The next moment.
“What…?!”
Kael and a woman with an unusually attractive appearance were reflected in her sight.
The two of them were watching the fireworks.
To others, they seemed so well-matched that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them lovers.
Seeing this, Jane’s face suddenly hardened.
-Ugh!
Every time she thought of him, her heart ached.
However, she could bear it because it was a pain she had brought upon herself.
But the situation in front of her eyes now made her heart sting as if it was being torn apart.
-Shriek.
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Unable to bear it any longer, Jane closed the window.
At that moment, she didn’t fully understand the pain she was feeling.
It was jealousy.
***
Three women were keeping an eye on me with guilt-ridden faces.
These were the women reputed as the heroes’ party in the world.
I drew a shallow breath as I looked at them.
‘Sigh.’
Explaining my current situation would require going back a few hours.