by Geli Cake
"...So, what do you want from me?"
"...."
He believed in give and take. What in the world would he ask of me in return once he found out about his own worth?
I couldn't bring myself to tell him, "I'm safe as long as I'm with you," so I chose silence.
"You're not going to tell me. Then I'll just have to guess."
He interpreted my silence as he pleased and paced around me.
In any case, he was still on my side. As long as I cooperated with him to some extent, Lena would help me.
"By the way, do you have a plan?"
A plan? I tilted my head, and Lena sighed deeply.
"Do you know how many magic spells are cast on this house? And you're trying to open the doors without knowing anything? Do you even know how to deactivate them?"
Well… I didn't know anything!
"I don't."
I sniffled from the cold and gave a completely unhelpful answer. Lena reacted in a very familiar way. He narrowed one eye and gave me a look of utter exasperation.
Ryzen always made that expression while thumping his chest. After making that face, he would yell, "You idiot!" It seemed Lena also found me frustrating.
'It'll work out somehow.'
I dragged Lena along as I explored the hallways, trying to figure out how many rooms there were on the second floor. Countless magic spells were cast on even the smallest of things.
It was probably because of 'A Protective Heart.' This house had a long-standing reputation for being haunted.
Countless homeowners had tried to get rid of the ghosts, but all had failed. Because they couldn't get rid of it, all they could do was trap it.
[Within this mansion, the only one in danger is you!]
I focused on that single sentence from the quest. The servants in this house were descendants of the ancestors who had served Haylan for generations. In other words, they shared his bloodline.
['A Protective Heart' loses its aggression as long as it senses a familiar scent from the possessor.]
What if the ghost perceived them as familiar because of their shared scent? With that assumption, it made sense. And at the same time, I felt relieved. It meant that crazy thing wouldn't attack anyone but me.
'Yeah, just attack me…'
Don't touch Haylan or anyone else. As I was thinking that, Lena suddenly appeared in front of me.
"I got it."
"...!"
I reflexively covered my mouth with my hand, thinking he was going to kiss me again. He gave me a disapproving look before continuing.
"You know, you subtly grab my hand whenever that thing comes close."
Lena held up my hand, which I was gripping on him. The white figure passed over our heads again.
"As I thought…"
He muttered with a convinced tone. I must have been gripping his wrist tightly without realizing it.
"Are you scared of that thing?"
"...A little."
I answered, avoiding his gaze. I wasn't lying, I was really scared of it.
'He noticed.'
Anyway, since my invincibility time recharged while in contact with him, it wasn't a loss for me.
It took over two hours just to walk around one floor, and identify and record the magic spells plastered on every door and window. I didn't have a moment's rest.
Since both the ghost and Lena disappeared before sunrise, I had to make the most of the night.
"Look who we have here, the great archmage."
Lena watched me decipher and record the magic on each door, sarcastically calling me a great archmage.
At first, I thought he was complimenting my abilities, but then he added that even experienced mages couldn't touch this house and sold it off cheaply, so I belatedly realized he wasn't being sincere.
So he didn't trust me!
[Spending 100 Quest Points to purchase the Eye of Mana (7-day pass).]
'Expensive…'
It was half of my total points. But it seemed to be a necessary item for this quest, as I couldn't start anything without it.
I closed my eyes and purchased the item. As soon as the points were deducted, I could see the tangled mess of magic spells plastered on the walls and doors.
After purchasing all the skill items I could afford, I checked how many rooms I could unlock today.
[Activating Protection Barrier.]
Crash! As I broke the doorknob of the room with the blade trap, the trap activated, and countless blades flew towards me. I felt Lena flinch behind me, but I wasn't surprised at all since I already knew how the trap would work.
Fortunately, the trap stopped activating just before the Protection Barrier's durability reached zero and shattered. I used a dispelling spell on the location of the magic to remove the blade trap.
"How are you doing that? What do you see?"
Lena frowned and peered around me. I see it, very clearly. I checked the quest points I received as a reward for deactivating the trap.
"Now you're not even trying to hide it…"
Lena clicked his tongue at me as I compared the quest window with my notes. Well, who told him to be so observant? I tended to let my guard down around him. There was no need to hide it anymore.
"What exactly are you?"
"Tell me your identity first, and then I'll tell you mine."
"As you know, I'm a ghost."
"And as you know, I'm an ordinary mage mercenary."
"...."
Ordinary my foot. Lena scoffed sarcastically.
We were silent for a while, not speaking. We both had our suspicions about each other and things we were hiding. We both knew we had secrets.
"...Alright."
After a while, a voice laced with amusement reached my ears as I was busy dispelling the overlapping spells in the room.
"You're using me like a security system."
A white figure flitted past Lena's head and into the room, just as he spoke with conviction. Startled by the sight, I almost fell on my butt, but Lena easily caught me and asked,
"That thing avoids me. So that's why you only cling to me only when it's around, right?"
"...."
Damn, how did he figure that out too?
"It seemed like it wasn't just fear. …Does it tell you that you're safe when I'm around?"
He pointed his chin at a random spot in the air.
'Crazy.'
I was too stunned by Lena's almost psychic deduction to even express my amazement. My jaw just dropped.
Recharging itself was convenient, as it only required contact with Lena. On the other hand, the invincibility time continued to deplete even during the day. Even if I stayed glued to him for almost half a day, the invincibility time would be completely gone by the time I woke up.
"Now I see, I'm the one with nothing to lose."
I shook my head vigorously and refuted his words with a serious expression.
"That's not true. You're still the one at an emotional disadvantage, and it's not right for you to keep blackmailing me with trivial things."
He readily agreed with my words, then asked again,
"So, am I doing a good job of impressing you now?"
When I quickly nodded, the corners of Lena's lips curled up slightly, seemingly satisfied with my reaction.
Only after confirming that the ghost had slipped through the wall and left did the strength return to my legs.
Honestly, didn't 'A Protective Heart' have an appearance that didn't match its pretty name? I never wanted to deal with it ever again. Since he had already figured everything out, I made a special request to Lena.
"Could you please try not to stray more than five steps away from me?"
"I will. What's my reward?"
"Reward…"
"If you can't think of anything, we'll go with what I decided. How about you letting me do whatever I want to you for five minutes?"
"That's too long. One minute."
"Fine."
"...?"
Why did I feel like I had been tricked when he readily agreed? I turned away with a disgruntled expression, saying I would just finish what I was doing.
Just How many protective spells were cast on a single room? I struggled for almost 40 minutes before finally completing the magic dispelling process.
'I'm done!'
As I drew the final stroke of the dispelling formula with the chalk I was holding, the magic circle covering the entire floor glowed blue and reversed its rotation.
[Deactivation complete.]
Finally, as it dissolved into the air like smoke and returned to its mana form, I heard the sound of a page turning.
"Looks like you're done. I was bored to death."
Before I could fully enjoy my accomplishment, a low voice whispered in my ear. Lena, who had been sitting next to me, watching me intently, grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him.
"Keep your promise."
"Wait…!"
[The proposal has already been accepted.]
What was he going to do to me? I suddenly felt uneasy. But contrary to my expectations, he just hugged me tightly from behind and did nothing.
I waited for a moment and asked,
"Is that all?"
"That's all."
"...Ahem."
"You can't help it even if you were expecting something more. What else can I do in one minute?"
It seemed I had worried needlessly.Since he had confessed his feelings for me, I naturally assumed Lena would touch me or do the "dirty things" he kept talking about.
My face flushed with embarrassment, having imagined all sorts of things in that short time.